Remnants of a Friend
by Heichou Kitty
Summary: After saving Hyrule from the Twilight invasion caused by Ganondorf, the friend he had grown with over the past months has left, leaving Link in grief. After all he had been through, this grief has become too much for him to handle and his life takes off in a downward spiral. With an empty purpose, he feels doomed. Who is enough of a hero to save the chosen hero? [MidLink]
1. Prologue

"Should I have made him stay?" The young woman groaned and massaged her temples to ease her headache. When she wasn't given an answer, she just cursed under her breath and dug her thumbs harder into the sides of her head. There was a hooded woman across the room who she kept a dull gaze with. She had never seen this person in her castle before, and the gates were closed to the public at this time of night. This hooded woman stressed her and aroused her suspicions.

She had closed her eyes and broke gaze with the hooded woman. She heard footsteps and felt a hand gently rest on her shoulder. She looked up and tried to cover up her pained expression on her face. The hooded woman's eyes couldn't be seen. The poorly lit room only allowed her to see the tip of the woman's nose and her smiling lips.

"Princess Zelda," the hooded woman whispered with a soft and inviting voice, "He is The Hero of Twilight. I am quite sure he can handle a ride in the night back to Ordon."

Zelda sighed. She brushed away the woman's hands from her shoulders. "It is not his ride home that stresses me." She stood, walked to the other side of the room, and removed her crown from her head. "He has just lost a friend who he connected with over the past few months. I cannot even fathom the pain he must be going through, losing a friend like that. It's hard for me to believe he'll have all of his sanity after that."

The hooded woman crossed her arms. "Princess Zel-"

"Just call me Zelda," she stated.

The hooded woman's lips stopped moving while partly open, and even though only half of her face could be seen, her expression just showed how confused she was. "I do not want to be rude, but excuse me? You are the princess and ruler of Hyrule, you protected us from Zant and Ganondorf. I do not feel worthy to call you just by your name."

Zelda turned her head away from the woman and gazed out the open window. "I don't like to be referred to as 'Princess'. It makes me feel that I am above everybody else, but I am not. I feel we are equals." She took a deep breath and looked back at the hooded woman. "Now, I am worried for Link and his safety, and you were opposing?"

The hooded woman sighed in defeat. "Zelda, the goddesses chose _him _for a reason. If they knew he couldn't handle the aftermath of it all, they wouldn't have chosen him. If he couldn't handle it they wouldn't have let the part of the triforce that holds courage reside in him."

Zelda began to twist her hair in her tense hands. She was getting a bit flustered with the whole conversation and wanted to ease her tension without yelling. "But people change. Yes, he handled it all up until now. But human nature is a pain when it comes to feelings of grief. Although he was chosen by the goddesses themselves, he is a human, and humans are susceptible to feelings, change, and mental decay. _I _am worried for him." She gave the hooded woman a stare into where her eyes would be. "I will be visiting him in a week. Could you let the stable master know to prepare my horse for then?" She knew asking that would determine whether she knew this woman or not. After what had just happened with Ganondorf and Zant, she found it hard to trust people she hadn't seen before.

The hooded woman shook her head, and a long tendril of tightly woven platinum blonde hair slipped out from inside the hood. Zelda was right, she didn't know this woman. Zelda's heart began to beat faster and irregularly. She was curious as to how the woman got in; the gates had been closed all day. Unless she climbed in the window, she couldn't think of any other way this suspicious woman could have gotten him. She just hoped it wasn't a servant of Ganon that was still alive.

"Maybe if I worked for you, I could tell the stable master." The hooded woman smirked. "You should probably tell somebody else besides me.

Zelda tried to hide the emotions from forming on her face, but she was growing scared. This woman seemed to be plotting something, in Zelda's eyes at least. She felt threatened. She didn't want to show it. She raised one brow, widened her eyes, and gritted her teeth. "If you don't work here, then who the hell are you? The gates have been closed all day," she practically hissed, "so how did you get in?" Her eyes flooded with fear, it was the only reason she acted this way. She didn't know who this woman was and what her motive was. All she knew is that she didn't want something like what Zant did to happen again.

"Don't feel threatened," she whispered. The hooded woman reached her hands up to her hood to pull it back.

Zelda cursed under her breath, "Why shouldn't I feel threatened? You have come in without proper permission. The last time this happened Hyrule was taken from me by that tyrant, Zant." Her gaze flickered to her right, where her sheathed sword was. She began to inch her arm over to grab it.

"Because I was sent here to look over you, not hurt you," the hooded woman grunted. She flipped back her hood this time, revealing her face. Her skin was deeply tanned, a lot darker than her own skin. Besides the one long tendril of hair, her platinum blonde hair was cut short, close to her skull. Underneath her left eye was a tattoo of a teardrop. The hooded woman's clothes were of dark color, and over top her chest was a cloth with the mark of the Sheikah tribe; Zelda recognized it from her many studies.

"H-how am I supposed to know that?" Her voice faltered and stuttered. She felt her face lose all color and flood with horror.

The woman turned her head and locked a gaze with Zelda. "My name is Impa. I was sent by the goddesses to protect you. I was only able to come to you now due to the circumstances that Hyrule was in these past few months. Please forgive me for my absences, and that I came to you today to try to relieve you of your stressed, but only flustered you and filled you with fear."

Zelda's face turned white and her mouth gaped open. "W-why couldn't you help me during the invasion of the Twilight?"

"I couldn't enter the Twilight unless I wanted to become a spirit like the rest of your people – Link was the only one who became a beast." Impa deepened her stare into Zelda's eyes. "Even if I could have entered the Twilight, I wouldn't have been able to enter the castle. Ganon had set up a reflector that prevented anybody from entering."

Zelda regained some control over her expressions. She closed her mouth and rubbed her eyes. "Oh, I am sorry," she sighed, "I didn't know. I was scared. I didn't want anything to happen to Hyrule again."

Impa crouched down and laid her hand on Zelda's shoulder and smiled warmly at her. "It is fine, My Grace. I could understand your reason to fear me. "

Zelda looked back up at Impa and smiled slightly. "Thank you," she whispered.

Impa just nodded. She stood from her crouched position and walked towards the window. "If you can excuse me, but I need to go find a place to sleep tonight," she stated firmly while looking back at Zelda. She chuckled at herself for a second, "I may have to do more mental check-ups with you than you feel you must do to Link; you seem like a lost puppy."

Zelda smiled back. And before she knew it Impa had left. Zelda was left there somewhat confused at everything that just happened. She felt as if she was flooded with information and she couldn't take it all in at once. She felt as if it was a dream.

But she knew that everything that happened was all too real to ever be dreamed of.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, things are getting started! :3 I'll try to keep the first few chapters posted quickly, but otherwise I'll be doing biweekly. I idiotically started this fic around the time school starts so I'm really busy studying! Anyways, thanks for reading! It means a lot to me o/u/o If you just read and review, that'd be great! (like seriously, reviews are the best things ever can I please have one)**

* * *

Light from the high moon shone through the windows, illuminating a small Ordonian home. It was unkempt and disheveled, like somebody hadn't been living there for months. To make matters worse, it reeked of mold and rodents. There was no noise in the house, though, and it seemed awfully empty. Then the front door slammed open, allowing the moonlight to create a shadow of a young man standing in the doorway. The man stepped into the home, closing the door behind him. He trudged across the main room to the bed, dragging his feet with every step he made. Small whimpers could be heard between each step he took.

He stood in front of the untidy bed and began to undress. First he unbuckled the belts holding this scabbard and sword then removed them from his shoulder. He placed them on a pile at the foot of his bed. Next, he removed the fern green cap from his head and began undoing his tunic. As he lifted the fabric over his head, he noticed all the damage it had received during the time he wore it. So many little stitches to close the tears he made. There was a fresh, giant tear across the backside of the tunic. There was dried blood around it, too. The man groaned - another injury to worry about. He shook his head and reached down to slip off his boots.

Once he was left in his undershirt and trousers, the man crawled into the musty bed. He just curled up into a fetal position and didn't make a word. Tears that rolled down his cheeks were illuminated by the reflecting light of the moon. It made his wet eyes and puffy, raw, bloodshot eyes obvious. Every time more tears began to stream, the boys grit his teeth harder and harder. Shortly enough, whimpers began to escape from deep within the boy's throat. "Why me? Why did _I_ have to be the goddesses' chosen? Why couldn't they have chosen somebody else? Somebody who could handle this much grief…"

The boy just buried his face into his pillow and didn't make a peep the rest of the night. He just wanted a few moments to remember the last few months together with her. They had become such close friends; they sacrificed themselves for each other. The bond they shared was beautiful. It was their final moments that broke his heart. It was only then he realized his true feelings for her.

_The beautiful twilit princess stood in the light of the shining mirror. She at both Princess Zelda and the boy she had grown to love over the past year and a half. She sighed deeply when their gazes broke, she didn't want to do what she had to. She was happy that she'd be able to go home, but she was leaving an important part of her behind. It felt like such a deficit. She felt a tear began to escape her left eye. She had to leave now before she created anymore emotional trauma on herself. The tear left her eyes and traveled down her face and down to the tips of her fingers. It then launched itself off her finger and toward the mirror._

_The young boy just stood there smiling innocently at her. She presumed he thought they would be able to see each other again. He was far from being right though. An ache ran through her body, with it rooting at her heart strings. She felt bad for betraying him like such, but she had to. If she didn't do was she was about to, this whole mess could happen all over again._

_ "__Link… I …," she paused momentarily. Making eye contact with the Link, who was cocking his head in confusion, she hurt even more. She broke the gaze and continued, "I… See you later." And it seemed not even seconds later the teardrop she released came in contact with the mirror. A giant crack formed where the tear hit, and it began to spread rapidly. She felt sick to her stomach as Link gaped at what was happening. She watched all color drain from his face as he desperately looked from her to the mirror and back. She wanted to sob right then and there, but she couldn't break his heart anymore. She was going home now and there was no turning back. This was it. And she was gone._

_ "__Midna!" Link yelled after the princess as she seemed to disintegrate into thin air in his face. His stomach dropped and he felt nausea wave over him. He bit his lip and fell to his knees in front of the shattered mirror. "Tell me this is a dream and that didn't just happen." He looked frantically at Zelda with wide, horrified eyes. Zelda refused to make eye contact with him, she just stared at the foot of her gown. She was mourning, too. But, Link was to be expected to take it far worse. _

_She sighed deeply before gathering any last strands of courage. "I'm sorry Link," the words barely escaped her lips as she tried not to choke on her forming tears. "She's gone. There's no going back." _

_He didn't do a thing after that. He sat there in the dirt, staring blankly at the shattered pieces of mirror everywhere. Zelda noticed Link dry his eyes a few times. Eventually, after much time passed by, he gathered himself to stand and exit the chamber. He walked right past Zelda, without a word or eye contact. She heard the sound of his stirrups clack against the side of his saddle as he tacked up Epona. She then heard a whinny and the sound of galloping hooves echo in the distance, fading with each second passed. She looked out the exit of the chamber, and the only thing significant she saw was the cloud of dust coming from behind Epona's hind hooves. Zelda sighed at the sight. She could tell by the way he talked and stormed out of the chamber that this was going to be one long ride for Link._

It was surely a long and painful ride home for him. The large wound he acquired on his back only made matters worse. He just wanted to forget it all. He wasn't bothered that he seemed to be acting childish, he truly felt like one. He wanted to hide away in his home and not talk to anybody. He didn't want to see Zelda again, just the thought of her made him flood with memories of Midna. Link sighed, closed his eyes, tightened the position he was in, and buried his face into his pillow. Eventually, his breathed slowed and he drifted off into slumber.

* * *

Heavy hands pounded at Link's front door. He groaned and uncovered himself from his blankets and looked out one of his windows. The sun was up and shining, the green summer leaves shook in the wind, and the birds of Faron flew in the sky. He just sighed through his nose and then pushed himself up from the bed. He yawned and stretched upward before making his way to the front door. His mind was still groggy from sleep when he was awoken by even more pounding. Link mumbled a few words of annoyance under his breath before reaching for the handle of the door. Slowly, he twisted the knob and opened the door. He found Fado pacing himself around on the small deck of Link's.

"What do you want?" Link moaned, rubbing his tired eyes. Fado was startled and jumped; he had been too caught up in himself to notice Link open the door. A small amount of pink flushed his cheeks, and a warm smile appeared on his lips. He rushed up to the shorter and embraced him in a tight hug, lifting him off his feet.

"Ah, Link! So glad to have you back!" Fado spun around, taking Link with him. "Rusl told us everything you had to do when he got back with the children yesterday. Everybody was so thankful for keeping the kids in one piece! And we're all happy you arrived safe as well! Man, I'm just so glad you're back – it was so hard working down at the ranch all by my lonesome."

Link tried to push himself out of Fado's grip, but his arms were pinned down, too. "F-fado," he choked. "C-c-can't br-breathe." Fado's grip loosened, placing Link back on his feet. Link just stood there and panted, trying to regain his breath.

Fado took his hand to the nape of his neck while his cheeks turned a deep crimson. His grin was wide and cheesy, and his eyes were closed. Probably to avoid eye contact with his friend that he almost suffocated. "Ah… heh heh… sorry about that, we're all just so glad you're back."

Once Link regained his composure, he just shrugged. "I presumed so." He glanced back at his gaping door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to tidy myself up a bit so I can come into town." He began to make his way to the open doorway.

Fado nodded his head quickly. "Y-yes, sorry. I hadn't realized you would still be sleeping when I came, because it is around noon." He chuckled to himself for a second. Then he stepped down to the ladder. "I'll be up at the ranch if you want to come. If you don't feel up to it yet, it's fine. I heard about everything you went though, so I assume you feel kind of shitty, right?"

Link smirked the slightest bit. "Yeah, I kind of don't feel the best." He shrugged and looked over his shoulder. "I'll probably just come up and hang out, I don't really feel like doing too much yet. I'm really sore anyways." He gestured to his back.

Fado giggled for a second. "Okay then, I'll see you later, partner!" He waved and continued going down the ladder. Link just continued to enter his home and close the door behind him. He sighed and the smirk left his face. He washed his face before reaching for the tunic and cap lying on the flood. He hesitated. Did he really need to wear that anymore? He wasn't acting as the hero anymore, so he assumed he didn't need to. He sighed, picking up the pile of clothes and weaponry he used on his journey. They reeked of blood, sweat, and her. He winced. Although she always sat on his shoulder, he didn't realize she did it enough to leave her smell.

Links shook his head and regained control of his sense. He began to head towards his basement ladder. He looked down at the hole he called his basement. It was cold and dark. With his arms full, he had no room to carry a lantern down there with him. He sighed and began to make his footing on the steps of the ladder. All was going well until he was halfway down. He reached his foot down for the next step but there was nothing. He stretched it out as far as he could, but he still felt nothing to rest his foot onto. He groaned and stood there on the one step for a minute until he heard a creak from under his foot. His suspicions were confirmed. In the many months he was away, the goddesses damned termites got into his home again. He sighed, and began to pull his hanging foot back up. But when all his weight shifted onto the foot, the creaking step underneath it broke in half.

Link slipped from the steps, wide eyed and gaping at the light of his main room. His grasp on the pile of clothing loosened when he fell. And he was falling faster than the pile. He landed on the dirt floor with a thud. He grit his teeth as pain shot up his spine. It was only temporary though, it was only going to be a massive bruise. Then the tunic, cap, scabbard and sword, and shield, all landed on his left ankle. Link shrieked and gritted his teeth. He felt his ankle shatter underneath the force of the landing of the scabbard and shield. He bended forward at his hips and shoved the heavy objects off his ankle. He cringed before pulling up the end of his trousers to see a slightly bloody, swollen, red, painful ankle. He also noticed the purplish green bruise coming to the surface of his skin.

Link rolled his eyes and frowned at the sight of his ankle. "Goddesses damn it," he gibed underneath his breath. He tried moving his ankle from side to side, but the pain coming up his leg made it impossible to do. Struggling with it only made it worse. He felt as if his whole leg was on fire. His eyes widened in pain the last time he tried. When the worst of it died down, Link glared at his now useless leg and then up at the ladder. It wasn't the fall itself that hurt. It was that damned master sword and shield that did it. He moaned and used his arms and good leg to scoot himself up against a wall. He laid his head back into the wall and cursed. He figured he wasn't going to get out of here for a while.

"Am I really going to be stuck here?" He stared at his now swollen ankle. He frowned slightly but reopened his mouth. "I guess so. All thanks to you." Link glared at the purplish bruise forming on the skin. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to sleep the time away. He hoped maybe Fado or Ilia would get worried and come to check on in. He wanted somebody to find him to get him out of here. He didn't want to be even lonelier than he already was.

* * *

Zelda paced herself around her bedroom. It had been several days since she met Impa for the first time. And although Impa said not to worry, she couldn't stop thinking of him. She felt bad for him, losing a friend is painful for a while. It wasn't even like she was really dead; she was just unable to be seen, ever again. She sighed and placed her head back into her hands – another headache. She rubbed her temples with greater pressure than normal. She was stressing herself over him. She wanted to go and check up on him already. Castle security wouldn't allow her leave just yet, they were still concerned for her safety, judging on what had just recently happened with Ganondorf and Zant.

She figured a two day ride to Ordon wasn't that bad. She would ride to Kakariko for the night, stay in the Inn, and then head out to Ordon the next day. It was a safe enough plan, she presumed. She removed her crown from her head, and undid the ribbons and ponytails holding her hair back. She just put it all into a braid that cascaded down her back and ended at the small of it. Zelda then took off her gown and replaced it with her riding trousers and top. She grabbed a jacket just in case it would get colder towards the evening.

Zelda grabbed her quiver and bow, just for precautions, and her tote. She quickly scurried down the spiraling staircase into the kitchen to grab a few apples to last her hunger until she reached Kakariko. She then headed for the stables. She found her white beauty of a horse in her stall, nibbling at hay. It whinnied at the sight of Zelda, who smiled at the happy sound. She tacked up the friendly beast and mounted. Grasping the reins in her hands, she kicked her friend into a slow canter, leaving the castle grounds.

Since the bridge to the east was still being worked on, she had to take the long route to Kakariko – the bridge to the west. As she neared, she still smelled the faint traces of the oil that had lit the bridge at once. Link had told her about that time, when he was trapped in the body of a beast. It sickened her to think of all Link had been put through over the past year and a half. Any normal person would have fallen apart by the end of it. She was worried that he would fall apart.

She squeezed her grip on her horse's barrel, and the beauty sped up its strides. She was nearing Kakariko and the sun was starting to set. She wanted to get there before dark. She was able to cross the Hyrule field mindlessly – she saw no threats in sight. And soon enough, Zelda was in Kakariko. She slowed her horse to a trot and headed towards the Inn. She halted her horsed near the stables and dismounted. She grabbed her horse by the reins and began to lead it back to the stables. As she entered, she noticed another horse was in a stall, but she didn't pay too much attention to it. She led her white beauty into a stall, removed her tack from her, and fed her some of the grain that was lying around. Zelda exited the stall and locked it up behind her.

She began to exit the stables; she paid more attention to the second horse. It looked familiar. Zelda began to approach it slowly, although it seemed calm, she didn't want to startle it. And then she recognized the horse. The mare's pale chestnut colored fur, blonde mane, and large build made it all too clear to her.

Zelda ran from the stables toward the Inn with a wide, cheesy grin on her face "Link!"


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you guys reading and adding the story to your favorites and following and sending in reviews ;w; Although I only have a little it means a lot to me! I hope you'll like this chapter! It's been hard for me to do writing because I started school, so I'm doing the best I can with my time, so, enjoy~! Keep sending in your reviews!**

* * *

Zelda slammed open the doors of the inn. "Link! I'm here!" All she got in return were blank stares from the plump barkeeper from castle town, the young girl who may or may not be Link's girlfriend, and the town shaman, Renado. Zelda's cheeks flushed crimson when she realized that Link was nowhere to be found. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "So, where is Link?" She shrugged her shoulders, entering the inn and closing the door behind her.

The barkeeper turned to Zelda, and gestured to the young girl. "Ilia came on Epona. She says Link hasn't been out of his house since he got back. Well, she said Fado had talked with him the morning after he returned, but he hasn't been out since. She's just worried for him, y'know? He might be sick or something, who knows." She woman smirked and returned to drying a few shot glasses; Zelda watched the glass carefully.

Renado nodded in reply to the barkeeper's explanation. "Telma's correct. We are going to visit him tomorrow, to make sure he's fine. You never know what state he is in; despite that he _is _the hero of twilight, he is still susceptible to illness and mental fatigue, just like every one of us."

Zelda nodded. She glanced over at Ilia, who was reading, and sighed. She pulled out a barstool and placed herself on it. Her hands held up her head; her elbows resting on the countertop. Zelda looked up at Telma. "Give me your strongest."

Telma's expression widened. "Oh, you drink scotch?" She giggled, reaching for a bottle and empty glass.

Zelda shrugged her shoulders; she lowered her gaze back to the countertop. "Not usually," she sighed. "I don't normally drink. Now's an exception, though." She smirked and laughed in a rhetoric way. She just wanted a drink to fog up her mind – she didn't want to think of what could be happening with Link right now. Another migraine would be the worst of things to pop up. A glass with an amber colored liquid was placed on the counter in front of Zelda. Telma smirked and placed her hips. Zelda stared at the glass for a second, then brought the alcoholic liquid to her lips and downed it. She cringed at the strong taste of the drink. "Thanks."

Telma winked at the fair skinned girl. "Not a problem, honey." She gestured over toward Ilia. "I feel I must tell you a few of my suspicions about _her_, though." The plump woman poured her own glass of whiskey and sipped on it, leaning over on the counter to speak to Zelda.

Zelda grew curious; she cocked her neck, raised a brow, and gawked slightly at Telma. She closed her parted mouth and bit her lip. "What do you mean?" Ilia seemed like a sweet girl, she was the daughter of Ordon's mayor, and she appeared the enthrall Link enough to push him to go after her and into the twilight. What could be so bad about the young girl?

Telma rolled her eyes and sighed, placing a hand on her hip. "She seemed like she would have been one of those sweet, innocent girls, y'know?" She glanced at Zelda for confirmation, and she just nodded. "At least that's how I remembered her to be, when I was taking care of her. Maybe she changed after getting her memory back. She just seems more bratty and self centered. Until you arrived, it was all about her and Link – how they were before he left, and how he has lost interest in her since he returned." Telma shrugged and arched her back. "Honestly, I think Link is probably fine. Just a bit sad and maybe a cold; nothing too serious, but there's nothing wrong with checking up on him."

Zelda had a vague and blank expression on her face. She nodded and sighed, placing a hand on her forehead to hold it up. "That's true. That's what I was coming to do, and I was going to stay here the night – but I saw Epona and came to false conclusions." She flickered her eyes over at the entrance of the inn. "I wonder if Ilia's jealous."

Telma giggled. "Over Midna? I presume so. Link told me all about her. He said the sweetest things about her – how she was sympathetic and caring and brave and pretty. It was adorable!" The plump woman blushed and grinned slightly. "It was obvious he loved her, without a doubt. Thus, explaining why he lost interest in Ilia. Midna just made Link seem so happy in Hyrule's time of despair." She exhaled a warm breath of air. "Don't you agree?"

Zelda nodded. "They couldn't stand each other at first though; they were like two pieces of a puzzle that had one matching side, but they kept trying all their clashing sides. Then they found their match." She then frowned. "It's a shame that she had to leave so abruptly. It broke Link's heart." She sighed and so did Telma. "It was painful that night, watching him. First, she died for him. She died to allow him the time to escape to be able to prepare to fight Ganondorf. And when the spirits of light resurrected her, she had to leave. Link seemed overjoyed to finally see her in her true form. He was speechless at her beauty and his face was all red. It was cute." Zelda smiled a bit, remembering the scene. But then the next events struck her face with horror. "And then she left for the twilight, breaking the mirror, too. She didn't tell Link that. Now he can't see her. I can assume he's depressed as hell because of all this mess."

Telma bit her lip. "That's probably why he's cooped himself up in his house." Her and Zelda kept blank gazes for a minute before Telma returned to cleaning dishes.

Zelda sighed, tapping her fingers on the countertop. "I'm going to bed." She stood from the barstool. "Wake me up before we head out." She twisted on the balls of her feet, and began a swift walk towards the staircase. She glanced back at Telma, who grinned. Her bright smile enlightened Zelda's mood a bit.

* * *

Link groaned. He was stiff and his whole leg throbbed. He rolled his head in circles, attempting to alleviate the pressure he was feeling from the wound on his back. He was hungry, thirsty, sore, lonely, and feeling nauseated. How long had it been since he had feel? How long had he actually been stuck down here? It seemed like a week had gone by, but he wasn't sure – nor did he really care. His mind was too foggy to process anything that was going on; he just wanted to get out.

Link gently and slowly lowered himself from his sitting position up against the wall to lying on the floor, gritting his teething and balling his hands up into fists. Due to the injury on his back, his sprained or broken ankle, any movement he made caused him to have pain like he was burning alive. Link never realized how much he subliminally used for everyday actions. He just sighed and let out a few small pants until the pain subsided. Over time, Link noticed his skin was growing hot to the touch, and was growing warmer with every passing minute; and at times, he would have small outbursts of shivering.

"I hate life," Link moaned hoarsely. He stared up at the ceiling, his eyes unfocused and glassy, with his mouth slightly parted. In the little light that shone from the main floor, Link's face was visibly pale and getting thin; compared to his old self, he already looked gaunt. He coughed, reaching one of his hands to his forehead, which was beading up with sweat. Link scowled when his fingertips came in contact with the burning and sweaty skin.

"Damn it," he muttered, chuckling, and then frowning. "That wound… it got infected. This is just _great_. Midna would've made me wash it as soon as I got it. If she…" Link paused and laid there wide eyed. He grunted and rolled over on his side, trying to forget his thoughts about _her_. He frowned and stared at the floor. "If only she was still here…" Link's fingers toyed with the loose strands of fabric from the carpet he laid on. His body began to fade by the minute, it was becoming too ill to hold consciousness any longer – Link began to drift off into a light slumber as the illness took over.

* * *

Link fluttered back into a faint, foggy, consciousness when he heard familiar voices. A hoarse cough emptied his throat when he heard several pairs of footsteps enter the floor above him. He weakly scrunched his brows and frowned. He heard vague words of a frantic conversations echo down to him.

"Link!" Hearing his name being called startled him. "Link!" The high pitched voice registered in his head – Ilia. Link smirked, he knew she would get worried and come looking for him. He still pondered as to who else was with her. Her dad? Maybe, he could get help. Rusl? He was all Link wanted right now. Fado? He hoped not. Knowing him, he would crush the living daylights from him with a hug.

Then he heard an unexpected voice; a voice Link knew off the tip of his tongue – Zelda's. "Dear goddesses…" she groaned. Link just imagined her with her hands around her head, massaging her temples. "Where did he go Ilia?" Her voice began to intensify with every work she spoke. Link just raised a brow. Why was Zelda yelling at Ilia? Why did Zelda even care about him? She had better things to do, like ruling Hyrule, than to worry about him.

"We'll find him," an older woman replied. The way she spoke with confidence could only lead him to one person, Telma. "How about Zelda and I go down and search the basement, while you and Renado continue to search this floor and the balcony." Telma would be standing there, with a hand on her hip and a firm, but warm grin on her face; that's how she reassured people.

Link released a dry gasp. Was he finally going to get out? His already racing heart sped up; blood rushed to his head and added to the pressure, causing his fuzzy vision to blur even more. He felt like his head was going to explode. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to lift some of the pressure. Then he heard two pairs of footsteps coming to him; one pair heavy, the other lighter. Link cracked open an eye to make out the figures of Telma and Zelda making their way down the ladder. They were going to find him, and he was overjoyed at the idea – he could finally get out. Link's excitement made his heart beat even faster, adding more pressure.

"Watch your step, Zelda," the plumper mumbled. She was slowly making her way down the ladder, skipping the broken steps that caused Link's fall. She helped Zelda hop over them, and on to the floor. Link felt the vibrations of her footsteps inch across the groups he laid on. Link wanted to call Zelda's name right then and there, but no matter how hard he tried, not a peep came from his throat. All his words were trapped inside.

"How about we head this way?" Zelda suggested, gesturing over to the corner where Link laid. Telma nodded but Link frowned. Although he did want to get out, he didn't want them to see him in such a disheveled and sickly state. Zelda and Telma's footsteps grew closer and Link began to panic. How were they going to react? Then the light from their lantern made contact with his fingertips. He heard a gasp from Telma, Zelda's footsteps scurried to his side. Now, the light from the lantern illuminated his ill figure. The lantern fell from Zelda's fingertips and onto the floor by Link's face. He was startled and flinched at the loud crash. Telma immediately reached down and grabbed the lantern as Zelda fell to her knees by the boy's side.

Small whimpers exited Zelda as she trembled. "L-L-Link…" The woman clenched her teeth and balled her fists. Tears began to bubble up around the corners of her eyes. Zelda reached down and grasped Link's face in her hands, and she gasped by how thin he got over the past few days. Telma only raised her eyebrows as she examined Link's crooked and swollen ankle. Zelda began to rub her thumbs against his cheekbones and tried to hold back her tears; she hated seeing Link this way. Link just tried to focus on Zelda's face, but it was all a blur, although she was only inches away from him.

Link wanted to speak, but a weight held his voice in his chest. He blinked his eyelids a few times, to show Zelda he was responsive. She only smiled slightly to his actions, though. Link weakly lifted his hand and placed it on Zelda's. Her eyes shot open and her gaze moved to where their skins touched. Zelda immediately placed her head on Link's chest, above where his heart laid. She heard a faint and irregular, _tha-thump, tha-thump, tha-thump. _He was alive, but just barely.

"Goddesses," Zelda murmured. A small grin filled her face as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I'm so glad you're okay." She buried her face in her hands are she cried for a minute. When she revealed her face again, she gave Link a vague smile, to reassure him he was going to be alright. But she had felt his skin burning from the inside; she had heard his irregular and faint heartbeat. Zelda knew he wasn't well, he just wasn't dead. She noticed Link's pained faced and cocked her head. She smiled and reached her hands around to his back to help sit him up. "Here, let me help you." Unfortunately, her hands were placed on the gash on Link's back when she gave a tug.

Link shrieked and shot his head up. His eyes were wide, his voice dry and hoarse, his breathing was growing labored and shallow; tiny beads of sweat formed around his hairline. He was in significant pain. Zelda pulled her hands away from that spot on his back and gently returned him to the ground. "I-I'm sorry Link." Zelda didn't look him in the eyes – she couldn't look him in the eyes. She didn't want to see the pain surging in them. "Telma can help you." Zelda just turned her head to the plump woman, looking for reassurance.

Telma just nodded firmly. "I'll grab Renado. He should know what to do." She turned around to begin making her way up the ladder.

Link coughed and placed his hand on Zelda's arm. He needed her attention. When Zelda shot her face back to his, he tried once more. "I-I-Ilia…" The words left his throat in an almost inaudible manner, but Zelda was close enough to understand. She widened her eyes and turned to the plump woman halfway up the ladder.

"Telma!" She called after her. Telma turned her face to Zelda. "Don't let Ilia come down. I don't want her to see him like this, and I don't think he wants her to see him either." Telma nodded and continued up the ladder. Zelda just smiled warmly at Link, placing her hand on his cheek and rubbing it with her thumb.

When Zelda heard Renado and Telma begin to talk, she rummaged around Link's basement looking for something – she wanted to make Link as comfortable as possible for the time-being. Link watched her make her way through his messy home until Zelda wandered out of his vision. Zelda turned her head back a few times to look at Link, helplessly lying there on the floor. She was so thankful they found him when they did; she wouldn't have been able to handle it if he had died.

Zelda found what she was looking for, grabbed them, and rushed back to Link's side. She held the dusty blankets up for him to see. "Look what I have!" She grinned. "It's time to make you comfortable." She bent down and lifted Link by his shoulders, shoving the blankets under his back to hold him up. When she lowered him onto the makeshift pillow, he winced on impact, but it felt much better to his back than the floor. Zelda looked at him and smiled – she was trying really hard to lighten the mood.

Link vaguely smiled with the energy he had left. He gestured with his fingers for her to lean in closer to him. Confused, Zelda did as he requested. Link stretched his neck up to Zelda's ear and whispered, "T-thank you." He winced afterwards – it had hurt his throat just to talk. Zelda still smiled, despite Link's pained expression, and placed her hand on his forehead. She jumped a slight bit at how much warmer he felt. She was growing worried about him; she didn't want anything to happen to him. Zelda then felt on her stress migraines begin, but she didn't have time for it now and ignored it. Zelda grumbled something under her breath. Just then, two pairs of footsteps began to come back down the ladder. Zelda felt a wave of relief crash over her.

Telma led the way to Link; Renado kneeled by the young boy. He placed a hand on the swollen ankle. Link let out a small whimper to his touch – obviously, it hurt. Link his lip from screaming in pain as Renado rolled his leg around, trying to get a better view of the injury. Renado mumbled words, mental notes, which were only audible to Telma. She only frowned and shook her head to the news. That just provoked Link's curiosity.

Zelda popped her voice into the discussion. "You should check his back, too." She looked at Link, who stared at her blankly. He grumbled under his breath, it was inaudible to everybody but him. Renado then made his rounds to Link's back. Zelda lifted the boy by his shoulders and whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry, Link. It's for the best." Link just glared at her and frowned with a parted mouth. Renado pulled up the shirt to see a swollen, red, and warm cut across Link's back. He placed his hand on the injury and felt around. Link dryly screamed in pain, not holding anything back. Renado made a few more mental notes before Zelda placed him back on the makeshift pillow.

"Foolish boy," Renado mumbled. "You need to wash all your wounds or they could get infected like this one. You're lucky we came when we did. If we hadn't, it probably would've spread even more than it already has, and you wouldn't have made it." The old man closed his eyes and shook his head. "We're going to have to take you back to my home in Kakariko. I need to use some of my strongest medicines on that raging infection."

Telma sighed, placing her hands on her hips; raising a brow and creating and inquisitive look on her face. "And how are we supposed to get him out of here?" She glanced up at the ladder.

Renado sighed and motioned his hand. "I'll carry him on my shoulder. Lift him and place him on me, face down." Telma and Zelda exchanged a glance, shrugged, and did as ordered. Zelda grabbed him from under the bend in his knees, and Telma grabbed from under his arms. Together, they gently laid him over the older man's shoulder. Renado held a firm grip on the boy with one hand, and grabbed the ladder with the other. "Zelda, go first. Telma, follow behind me. I need to make sure I keep balance with him."

Zelda began to climb up the ladder; Renado was quickly on her tail. Telma followed both of them. At one point, she reached up and grabbed Link's hanging left hand. She saw the faint glow of the triforce on back of his hand. She gasped and immediately released it. Telma shook her head, and continued to follow Renado.

As soon as they all reached the main floor, Telma and Renado began to head out to put Link in the carriage. Zelda stayed inside and grabbed a few of Link's things. She grabbed a few outfits of his, his boots and his earrings. If he wasn't going to be at home, she at least wanted him to have a few of his things with him. After gathering the items, she rushed out to the carriage. The two had already created a bed made of the extra blankets, and Link was placed in it. Renado sat in the back with the boy, while Telma sad in the driver's seat. Zelda climbed in the back with Renado and Link.

As soon as Telma saw that Zelda was securely in, she whipped Epona and Zelda's horse into action. The carriage then took off through the Faron woods. Renado began to wrap Link's ankle. Link's eyes fluttered open as they passed by the light spring of Ordon, and when he saw a glimpse of the peaceful spring, tears began to form in his eyelids. He clenched his jaw shut and tried not to whimper, but Zelda heard his faint noises and placed her hand on his cheek and dried his eyes. She smiled at him, trying to reassure him.

"I-I-I'm sorry M-Midna…" Link looked up at Zelda, confused and obviously seeing things. "I-I'm sorry I feel this way, I-I know y-you wouldn't want m-me to…" The boy choked up another sob. "B-b-but I already do." Link clenched his jaw even harder as the tears began to stream down his face. Zelda frowned; it was heartbreaking to watch him. Sick or not, any memory of Midna haunted him.

Zelda placed her hands on Link's face and held him in them. She rubbed her thumbs across his eyelids, drying his tears. His eyes opened and tried to focus on her, but Zelda could tell that was impossible for him right now. She knew he was seeing Midna, not her. She bent down to his forehead and gave him a small kiss. "Link, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." She wrapped her hands around his head and pulled it to her shoulder; her chin rested on the top of his head. His memories of Midna were haunting him because he could never see her again, and it hurt to watch a friend go through so much pain. She clenched her jaw and tugged at the boy's hair. What was she going to do?


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ahhh sorry for such the long wait for this chapter... school really got to me this week! I literally cannot wait see your reactions to this build up chapter (next one will have all the emotional stuff woo!). As always, read & review? :D Thanks for all the favorites and follows so far - I really appreciate it!**

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Zelda paced around the room in tiny circles, her arms crossed and her lips pursed. Renado had asked her to watch over Link for the time being; while he and Telma prepared an antibiotic ointment for the boy's infection and gathered supplies for a bind for Link's ankle. Zelda just wanted the pair to arrive sooner, though. Link had lost consciousness by the time they arrived in Kakariko. Since then, Zelda warily watched his breathing; it was growing more labored and shallow with breath – it was literally becoming a struggle for Link to breathe. It made Zelda feel queasy; thinking that after he went to hell and back is when he falls short of invincible. She pulled her hands up to her temples, exhaling a warm sigh.

The door at the front of the room creaked open and a woman's head poked in. She made eye contact with Zelda, grinned, and continued to open the door. Telma carried in a small tray that held a jar of the antibacterial goop that was for the infected gash on Link's back, and the cloth and splint needed to wrap his ankle. Renado followed her tail with a pair of homemade crutches in his arms. Zelda anxiously glanced at Link, and then to Telma, gesturing them to focus on him; Link was beginning to look even paler by the minute. She bit her lip and reconnected a strong gaze with the older woman. Telma smiled back, but it was just a guise that hid her fears. Zelda's attempts to stay optimistic were slowing fading and her face remained neutral.

Renado leaned the crutches up against the walk, and made his way next to Telma at Link's bedside. He reached down to the boy's ankle and rolled up the fabric of his trousers to allow visibility of the swollen and bruised mess. He arched his lips in disgust of the mangled extremity. Renado could only sigh, though, barely looking up at Zelda. "It's already been healing improperly. He was stuck down there for longer than we had thought." Renado placed his hands on the boy's ankle, as if he was mapping it out.

Zelda felt her throat close only slightly. She pursed her lips and gasped silently. She knew what Renado had to do and she knew that she'd have to take a part in it. Zelda didn't want to add any more pain to Link than he was already going through, though. He was basically half dead and lying in a bed. Zelda turned her head to look at Link's face – his lips looked an eerie purple, and with his structure now becoming gaunt, his cheekbones stuck out. Zelda scrunched her brows and closed her eyes. "And what does that mean?" Her voiced wavered – it was a dumb question, but she felt the need to reiterate her scared thoughts to get a confirmation.

Renado sighed and continued to only eye Link's crooked joint. He stood there silently for a minute, and then raised his head, mustering enough courage to look Zelda in the eye. His face was filled with unwillingness – he didn't want to do it as much as Zelda didn't want to. "In order to correct the healing that isn't proper, we must break the ankle, again." He took a pause, prodding at the boy's ankle with his hand. "If we don't do so, his ankle will be stuck in an immobile position. He'll have a hard time getting around and doing what he used to."

Zelda nodded, the words stuck in her throat. Her mind raced with everything that could ever possibly hurt him physically, but some did more good rather than bad. She clenched her jaw and caved, releasing a sigh. She placed her hand on Link's lower leg, to hold it down as Renado did the breaking. Telma held down on Link's chest, knowing he would shook up when the pain would waken him. Renado saw both women in position, and he gently began to apply pressure to the injury. He noticed Link clench his jaw, even in his state of unconsciousness. All the color in Renado's faced drained, but he quickly looked away. He grit his teeth and applied all the pressure he could to the boy's ankle.

A loud snap and a scream. Link's eyes shot wide open and he jumped up, as far as Telma had allowed him to, from lying on his back. His breathing grew frantic, heavy, and quick. His eyes spastically moved from direction to direction in a scared manner. Immediately, Zelda let go of his leg, held his hand, and turned his face to allow their eyes to meet. Link's pupils were dilated to the point where his blue iris was almost unnoticeable, but she also noticed a familiar fogginess in his focus. "Link, you're fine. It is just Renado, Telma, and I. We're going to take care of you," she spoke in the calmest and reassuring voice that she could attempt. Zelda couldn't tell if he was even registering the words that flowed from her lips. Hell, she didn't even know if he could recognize her at the time; Zelda could visibly see the fogginess in the boy's eyes. All he could do was sit there, wide-eyed and heavily panting.

His vision broke from Zelda's and flickered down at his ankle. The faint, fuzzy, unrecognizable, figures of Renado wrapping his ankle and Telma sitting by his side intrigued him while sickly. Link watched the wrapping of the cloth around his source of pain; the cloth was holding two pieces of wood to him, immobilizing his ankle. Link's horrified expression faded and turned into a vague frown. Zelda only assumed that was his reaction because he couldn't understand what was happening. Then, Renado finished the wrap with a tight knot. The quick tightness sent a surge of pain up Link's leg; Link clenched his jaw and tightly shut his eyes. A dismantled groan shook from Link's throat, although quiet, Telma picked up the almost inaudible sound.

The older woman shook her head and opened her mouth, prepared to speak for the boy. "Does it have to be that right, Renado?" She pointed at the wrap, and then nudged her shoulder back towards Link. "He looks like hell." Her face wasn't all giggly and giddy, rather her expression held a mixture of neutrality and concern. Telma's stern stare never broke from Renado, either.

The shaman sighed, loosening his grip on the excess cloth he cut off. Renado turned his head slightly toward Telma, but never looked directly at her. "It needs to. It needs to compress the bone in the correct way to allow it to heal right. He may be in pain now, but it's better than having it permanently useless farther down the road." Renado shrugged his shoulders and laid the excess cloth aside, replacing its place with the jar of antibacterial goop. He looked up at Zelda. "I need you to get his shirt off; I need to rub this on his back." He then turned his head to look directly at Telma. "Once Zelda take off his shirt, help him up to a sitting position so I can get to his infection." The plump woman only nodded in response.

Zelda began to undo each button, one by one. The undershirt Link had worn for months on end was fringed at its ends, tinted from its original purity, ripped from the many swordfights, and stained with blood – Link's blood. Zelda cringed and undid the final button. She slipped his arms from the sleeves and yanked off the worthless shirt, trashing it immediately. Zelda returned to the boy's bedside and aided Telma in sitting him up. She gripped his shoulder in her hand and shuddered at how warm he was; his fever had been rising without them knowing. The only aspect that caught Telma's attention was how much of his shape he had lost. He was beginning to look like a prepubescent child.

Renado slathered a sufficient amount of the antibiotic cream on Link's infection. When he was satisfied, he placed the jar on the nightstand and reached for the gauze. He began to wrap the cloth around the boy's upper body, protecting the wound from further infection. Renado was placing a decent amount of pressure on Link's back while wrapping the wound. In response, Link inaudibly groaned and flicked his eyes at Zelda. She wasn't paying attention to his facial expression, though; she was watching Renado's movements.

As Renado tied off the bandage and removed his hands, Link silently sighed as the pain subdued. Telma left Link in Zelda's arms as she went to get the boy a new shirt, since Zelda recently discarded his previously dilapidated shirt. Link was hunched over, unable to hold himself up, in Zelda's arms. Renado was speaking quite words to Telma as she rummaged through the dresser in the room. She only nodded, shook her head a few times, and sneered at the man before he left the room. Telma pulled an oversized tee from the dresser, held it up in the air, compared it to Link, and shrugged. She brought the shirt over and slipped it over the boy's head.

Zelda slowly lowered him back to lying on his pillows. She tried to smile at him, but it was obvious he was slowly drifting away from them; he could barely keep his eyelids open. Zelda's vague moment of happiness quickly faded into a hopeless frown. Telma reached over and placed her hand on Zelda's shoulder, a grin on her face in attempt to cheer the younger of the two. Zelda looked at her, made a fake smile, and brushed the woman's hand off of her. Both sighed and focused on Link. An eerie silence filled the room.

"I want to take him to the castle with me," Zelda spoke first, biting her lip immediately afterwards. She took Link's hand in her own. The faint remnants of the triforce illuminated on the top of his hand. She smiled faintly, but the happiness left her when she looked up back at Telma. The older woman had an overjoyed, but subtle grin on her face.

"If you're taking him to the castle, you need to rest, dear," the older woman chuckled to herself. She toyed with Link's hair without noticing. "I can prepare the horses to run the carriage for you tomorrow." Telma took her hand from Link's hair and returned it to Zelda's shoulder, grinning at the same time.

Zelda nodded in a cheesy way. Her cheeks turned red and a fake laugh exited her lips. "Thanks for the offer Telma, but I'll just tie Epona to my horse, so we don't have to take your carriage." She didn't look the woman in the eye; she knew Telma would be confused at her decision. Zelda had an idea, though. Before Telma could even open her mouth, Zelda sputtered out her words quickly, "I'm going to head to bed. I will see you in the morning." She gave the barely conscious boy a kiss on his cheek – his skin still burned against her lips.

Telma waved Zelda goodbye, but the young woman rushed one in return before running up to her room. The plump woman only shrugged, and sat herself back on the stool by Link's bedside. The frail boy's eyes wavered over at her, and she smiled, holding his hand. "You're the hero I've always known. You'll make it out strong. You're going to be in great hands at the castle." She giggled a slight bit. "Maybe under Zelda's wing you'll learn a few _things_ as she helps you."

Link frowned at Telma. That took her by surprise. She only smiled though. "Ah, you're still into _her,_ I see." Telma's tan cheeks flared red, her cheeky smile only growing wider. "Most everybody thinks you two are just friends, but I know it's more than that." Link's face flushed a faint pink and slightly snarled at the woman. She snorted slightly, tightening her grip on his hand. "I'm only messing with you." Telma's other hand ruffled his already matted bangs. "Since it appears you can still understand us despite your state, I'd figure I'd try to get some sort of laughter from you but it appears that-"

Link's eyes finally closed and he fell into another light slumber. Telma smirked, slipping her hand from his. She stood from her stool, reached down to the foot of the bed, and pulled the blanket up over the boy. If the medicine were to work as supposed to, his fever would break in the night and he would get chills. She didn't want him to get too cold. Satisfied with what she did, Telma propped her hands on her hips and watched over Link.

Telma walked over to the window and looked out at the moon and the flowing stars. She sighed, realizing that in an opposite realm, somebody else was staring at the same moon _he_ laid under and longed for _him_; as he longed for _her_. To see somebody so lonely was depressing, even to Telma. "Nayru, bless him with your wisdom; keep his head stable. I don't want him to end up dead in the street, like all those others with such a sorrow situation. Farore, he's had enough courage to withstand this long, give him more to stand through his own version of hell. Din, give him power, mentally and physically, to withstand this fallow time. He is the hero you three chose, keep him safe." She ended her prayer with a sigh.

"Just keep him safe."

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His head was foggy and it hurt. Link pulled his hand up to his head and held it. Zelda was pulling him up and out of bed. He was sore all over – he didn't want to move. He looked up at her and sighed. She seemed overly excited, almost like he had died. He could vaguely remember the past few days; apparently he had broken his ankle and has an infection. His illness was under control now, but even the thought of his ankle brought Link's face to a grimace. Zelda sighed, released his hand, and grabbed the pair of crutches from across the room. She placed them underneath Link's arms, and helped pull him up. He cringed with the movement, but once he was standing, the pain slightly faded.

Link tried to grin at Zelda, but it was obvious he was still pain stricken. Zelda clasped her hands together and grew a cheesy smile. "Ah, they're perfect! Renado was unsure if they would work, because he didn't have you awake and standing whilst making them." She reached over and grabbed Link's hand. "Now, to your ride. Follow me!" She began to pull him along. Zelda's pace quickened while she heard the slow but steady _clop clop clop_ of the crutches striking the floor. Zelda held open the front doors of the inn for Link, and he strutted right through. He looked pale in the face, though – quite nauseated, in fact.

Link stood on the porch of the inn to regain his breath. He wanted to double over and vomit. Not moving for days really impacted his stamina. He assumed it was the illness that was the source of his prevailing nausea. He warily watched Zelda tack up her own horse and Epona, tying his horse's reins to the back of her Zelda's saddle. Link stared at Zelda with inquisitive eyes when she gestured for him to come to her, for him to get on Epona.

"You have to be crazy, Zelda," Link coughed, sticking his wrapped up ankle out at her to see. "I can't ride like this." He heavily relied on the crutches to keep himself upright, besides that, he slumped over in a slouch.

Zelda shook her head. Link raised a brow and the upper corner of his lip. A mumbled rode on the air leaving his lips, but it went unnoticed. "You're getting on. You're just going to sit and relax. Epona is tied to me; you're coming back to Hyrule castle with me."

Almost instantaneously, all the color that had remained in Link's face was drained from him. He had too many heartfelt memories of _her_ from there; too many memories that strummed away at his heart strings. Stutters and fake words ran from Link's lips to Zelda's ears. He was panicking, he didn't want to go back – but that was only part of the process of adapting.

Zelda reached for Link as she noticed his knees had begun to shake. She firmly clutched his shoulders, forcing their eyes to make contact. This was the first time in almost two weeks that they held true eye contact. Of all those recently, Link had been either too out of it to register the moment or he couldn't see a damn thing. Now, he stared at her wide-eyed, like a lost puppy.

"You will be fine," she reassured him. "You will be okay. Nothing bad is going to happen. You will be safe." Zelda slightly rotated her head and gestured for Telma and Renado to help him onto Epona. Telma immediately headed to them.

The duo lifted the skinny boy with ease; they had gotten him high enough so he was able to place his good foot in the stirrup and place himself on the saddle. Once he was situated on the saddle, Link tightly gripped the horn of the saddle – he needed to the whole time, his left leg was useless to help him keep his balance. Telma tied his crutches to the back of Link's saddle as Renado gave Zelda a leg up into her saddle. Zelda plopped down on her white beauty, slipping her feet in the stirrups and taking the reins in her hands. She turned to face Link one last time before heading off. She gave him a grin, and then the two horses and their riders began the small trek back to the castle.

Once the two had left the vicinity of Kakariko, Link spoke. "Why are you so worried about me?" His voice echoed with anger and confusion. She couldn't pinpoint one emotion that he was struck with.

Zelda gasped in her throat, her expression widened and she sneered out of annoyance. She was slightly offended by his little retort, but she knew that he was a scared as she was – she knew he didn't really mean it. "You're the goddesses chosen hero, you saved Hyrule; you saved the Twilit Kingdom; you saved me; you saved Midna." She heard the choking of Link's voice.

His words faltered, but he still spoke with the full meaning that he intended. "I understand I did all that. But I'm different now. Why do you care so much about me _now_?" His face was slightly red. He was holding his composure, but it was obvious it was becoming more difficult.

Zelda sighed. She halted her white horse at the start of the newly repaired bridge to the east. "People change, Link." She glanced back at him for a second. "Even you. Despite that you are the goddesses' chosen hero, you are susceptible to anything a person is; that's because you are one." She squeezed the barrel of her horse and shortened her reins – the white beauty began to walk across the bridge and Epona was dragged along.

Link shook his head. He didn't want to explain how he felt, it was too much. It would be too much of a burden for Zelda. He just swayed his hips along with the saddle, which matched the rhythm of Epona's strides. He gripped at the horse's blond mane and shoved his face into it. His throat was beginning to hurt and the waves of nausea began to flood over him again.

Zelda shrugged at Link's silence. She figured the boy had enough of a war going on. She wasn't going to be the ass that makes it worse. She simply sighed and focused more on her riding posture, making it perfect, as she was taught as a child. Link simply buried his face deeper into the horse's mane and neck. He didn't want to look up. He didn't need to look around to know where they were. The memories Link felt bubbling up in him triggered a towering flame of nostalgia, which consumed every last bit of him. He remembered _her_ desperate hour, the hour when _she_ almost died. He barely got to Zelda in time to save _her_. Link felt his heart race and sweat began to appear on his face. He just wanted a place to call his home, _she_ was home to him.

Now he was homeless.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm so excited for this chapter! I had so much fun & emotional trauma while writing it! And I did introduce an OC in this chapter. I will post his appearance reference soon! :3 I hope you enjoy, and read & review? Thanks guys!**

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Link remained silent as Zelda led the horses back to the stables. His hands stayed tight around Epona's mane and his face strained; his eyes looked like those of a child that had just witnessed murder. Zelda sighed as she dismounted her horse; she reached for her reins and brought them over her horse's head. She tied them to a nearby fencepost. She walked over to Epona's side to help Link dismount, but he appeared unresponsive to her. He was in all consciousness, but his face was blank: his eyes glassy, his mouth parted slightly, and the ghostly pale shade of his skin. The betwixt amount of fear and anger that flooded the boy's was easily noticed by Zelda. She presumed it was a flashback, but it wasn't certain. Zelda felt bad for Link, he was going through a lot of emotional trauma for an eighteen year old boy. But, she was the princess, soon to be queen, and she faced a lot of trauma by all the stress of the title. He wasn't alone in his feelings of hopelessness.

Link prevailed in his frozen state for several minutes, before subliminally beginning to dismount to his left. It was habit for him to dismount to the left – it was how he was taught to ride. But, when his foot touched the stirrup and his weight shifted to his ankle, he yelped and slid back in the saddle. He cursed underneath his breath before noticing Zelda standing at the shoulder of his horse. Once he made eye contact with her, his face filled with a bright pink hue.

Link's lips quivered as the words tumbled out. "I-I'm sorry, Zelda. I didn't realize you were standing before me." He stared down at his horse's withers, his face growing paler and sterner. Link couldn't keep looking at Zelda; he felt guilt bubble up inside him for his faulty actions. The tips of his ears felt hot but numb; he must've offended her, he was sure of it. Link wanted to hide his face from her; he closed his eyes and covered his hot face with his hands. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, the words were muffled from under his hands.

A small chuckle. Link's ears perked, his brows raised, and his eyes shot wide open. He slowly pulled his hands from his face, simultaneously turning to face Zelda. A small smile warmed her face, welcoming Link. His expression only made it visible to Zelda his growing confusion. She could only smile at Link, though. "It's fine." She blinked at him, looking him directly in the eye. "I don't mind, really. I consider you equal to me, as I am equal to you." Link furrowed his eyebrows and parted his mouth in a slight frown.

"But," the words fell from his lips. "I am not of royalty, as you are." Link turned in his saddle to face Zelda as she reached behind him to untie the crutches. Zelda shook her head at him and continued to reach onto the mare's back. She was getting slightly annoyed at Link's little act, pretending to be so innocent – acting he was nothing more than one of her followers. Zelda pursed her lips and removed the crutches from the saddle. She strutted around the rear of the horse – to help Link dismount to the right.

Zelda dragged a stool up to Epona's side, and reached her hands up and helped Link slide off the saddle and onto his good foot. She brought him the crutches and helped situate them under his arms. She began to lead their horses into their stalls respectively. Link followed slowly, watching Zelda's every move with his horse. As she removed the tack from her horse, Link placed himself on a bale of hay lying near the stalls. Zelda began to unbuckle Epona's bridle, removing the bit from the mare's mouth. "I don't know if you care anymore, but you saved my life at one point." She wiped the bit off with a cloth before hanging the bridle next to the horse's stall. "I owe you, Link." She then bent down to unbuckle the girth from the saddle, then lifting the saddle and girth off the mare. "I don't care who you think you've become. I know who you were, and you did miraculous things that I could never repay you for." Zelda laid the saddle just outside the stall door before heading back in with a curry and brush. "You and I have a connection that cannot be broken. I don't feel above you in any way." She poked her head outside the stall for a moment to see Link sitting on the bale, fumbling with his thumbs. "I think of you as a friend."

Link's face gaped. He slowly craned his neck to look back at Zelda, who was exiting the stall, locking the door behind her. She went over to Link and grabbed a pile of hay from the bale he was on, and split it between the two horses. Zelda returned to Link; she looked down at him, placing her hand on his head and removing the bangs from his eyes. Link looked at Zelda like a lost puppy. She offered her hand to him. "Let's go get you cozy inside. I don't want you getting any sicker than you already are." She smiled at the dirty blonde and he took her hand. Zelda helped pull Link to his feet as he firmly grasped his crutches. They began to head to the castles from the stables.

Zelda opened the door to the castle for Link, but from the corner of her eye she saw a sly figure dash through her peripheral vision. She formed an under bite of her jaw, and growled in her throat. Zelda shooed Link into the castle, closing the door behind them. She excused herself for a moment, and entered into the guards' lounge. Zelda scanned the faces of each of the men, and then saw who she was looking for. She scurried to his side and tapped on his shoulder.

The young man slowly turned to face her, and his freckled face flushed red. Zelda spoke. "I acquire your assistance," the words flowed from her lips like a river, while her face remained stern. The guard remained speechless in shock. "Sir, please come with me. I will override your duties for now." The guard shook from his state of utter shock as Zelda turned on the balls of her feet and began to strut back to where Link was. She looked over her shoulder and gesticulated for the guard to follow. He jumped and immediately caught up with Zelda.

The young guard walked side by side with Zelda until she stopped by Link, who was leaning up against the wall. Link gazed up and down at the man next to Zelda, his uniform was clean and free of dishevelment. His record was clean and so was his face. Zelda had made mental notes of Link's and the guard's resemblance by the structures of their faces. However, the guard was much taller than Link, his cheeks were freckled, his hair was dark gingery red, and his voice hummed at a slightly deeper pitch. Link's lips only rose in a small sneer at the young man – the guard responded with turned a dark crimson and facing his feet. Quickly, the disgust left Link's face, and he turned to Zelda: his eye begged, his bottom lip puckered out more than usual, and his brows scrunched close. She only shook her head to the boy – he sighed.

"Link, this is Eric. Eric, this is Link." Zelda made a motion with her hands to cue that the two should shake hands and introduce themselves.

The guard listened, holding out his right hand to Link and grinning. "Nice to meet you – as Zelda introduced me, I'm Eric. Eric Koriku." Link only scowled at Eric's offer. The guard, ashamed, pulled his hand back in a bashful manner.

"Why are you so fucking tall?" Link muttered at the young man who stood before him. His nose was scrunched up and a small frown traced his mouth. Eric's face was flushed with hurt and embarrassment. He had muttered something to himself before expunging his craven expression. Zelda only stood between the two men with wide eyes.

But then her pupils narrowed. She glared at Link, grabbing the boy's bag of belongings and shoving it in Eric's arms. "Please escort Link to his room and watch him until I come up." Zelda was looking at Eric directly in the eye; her voice stolid, dour, and impervious to the repeated glances from Link. "I need to attend to an issue quickly. I shouldn't be more than half an hour. Please try to get alone for the time being." Zelda specifically glared at Link with her last few words. Link just shrugged and looked away from her.

Eric slung the small bag of Link's belongings over his left shoulder and Link over the other. The blonde's face flashed red; it was obvious he didn't like his "special treatment" for being injured. Zelda smirked at Link, giggling at his diffident expression, and then turned and exited out the castle doors. She patted down the skirt of her gown, freeing it from any snags and allowing it to flow loosely over her feet. She pulled any last strands of stray hair from her face. Zelda's expression remained grim and serious. "Impa. Please come out."

The sly figure swiftly weaved from ledge to ledge, and then landing directly in front of Zelda. The princess didn't have a reaction; she didn't even flinch. The hooded woman turned to Zelda, lowering her hood from her head, exposing her bleach blonde tendril of hair. A smirk filled her cheeks. "So you were right about him, eh?" A small chuckle. Impa began to undo her cloak.

Zelda shook her head. "Partially." Impa had paused while unbuttoning her cloak, and raised one brow at Zelda, cuing an explanation. She sighed, "His mentality remains, but it is unstable. It appears that shortly after returning home he fell down the ladder to his basement, breaking his ankle. Also, one of his war wounds had gotten infected. It was right on his spine, he was quite sickly for a few days. He was finally well enough for me to take him here." Zelda stared at the cobblestone path under her feet. "I have an uncanny fear that things will decline. Not necessarily in physical state, but mental. He's gotten a bit wordy."

Impa smirked, laying a hand on Zelda's shoulder, causing her to look up at the tan woman. "Zelda, he's going to be fine. He's the goddesses' chosen hero. They wouldn't let anything go wrong for him; especially after all they put him through. Practically, they used him like they used you and I." The words stung Zelda with unfeigned truth; Impa's words were bitter and harsh, but they were reality. The goddesses' altruistic messenger wouldn't lie to her.

"So what are you going to be doing for him here?" Impa questioned the princess. Zelda gulped and her face flushed a faint pink. She didn't know; she didn't have a plan; she just wanted him to be out of harm's way until he was stable again. The small smirk left Impa's face and it transformed into a small frown. "You don't have a clue, do you, my grace?" Zelda could only shake her head in response. Although Impa remained chivalrous, Zelda knew she was looking down on her.

Impa sighed, closing her eyelids and shoving her hands into her pockets. A small breeze picked up in the small castle road. Impa's tendril and Zelda's braid began to float in the breeze as the two women stood in silence. A small rumble from the sky called Impa to open her eyes. The sun was still visible, but it was overcast and thick and heavy clouds were pouring in from the north. Impa reached for her cloak, slipping it over her shoulders and fumbling with the buttons. Zelda held her hands together at the front of her gown as she remained speechless.

"I better be off." Impa tapped the princess on the shoulder. Zelda jumped from her slumber of deep thought by the woman's touch. Impa was analyzing the castle walls, looking for the best place to jump. Zelda followed the tan woman around the walls as she readied herself. Impa faced Zelda and pointed to the dark clouds of the north. "It's going to storm soon. I need to get to my lodging before the weather becomes inclement. I suggest you head inside, too, your grace. Catch up with your little hero." She winked at Zelda, who parted her mouth slightly. Before the first truculent crack of lightning echoed in the distance, Impa had sprung into action and got over the castle walls with ease. Zelda stood, unable to form words, and slightly grinned. She didn't understand what about Impa that made her feel so happy, the woman just did.

* * *

The young guard laid the fail boy on his cot. The dirty blonde's arms were tight; his face cross and flushed pink; his teeth were clenched. He watched warily as Eric too his possessions from the sack and placing them on the nightstand and dresser. Link sighed, reaching for his crutches. He slipped them under his arms and hauled himself to a standing position, despite the pain they caused. Link began the slow walk to the balcony, the echo of _clop clop clop_ following him with each step he'd make. Eric raised his head when he heard the beating of the crutches on the floor, and then the creaking of the balcony door. He placed the sack of Link's items next to the cot, stood, and followed Link to the balcony. He saw Link stand there looking out over Hyrule field; leaning against the railing in a slouch, his crutches set aside, his left ankle being babied held up in the air. Eric sighed and frowned, walking out to the balcony with the boy.

Link heard the taller man's heavy footsteps on the stone balcony. He sneered and rolled his eyes. "Go away," Link muttered from under his breath, his voice was hoarse and raspy. Eric took note of the puffy, pink skin around Link's eyes and the visible layer of tears forming over his eyes. The young guard placed a hand on the thin boy's shoulder, only for it to be brushed away. Eric's grew in depth.

"No," he grumbled. "I won't. Now, _Link_, call me by my name. Zelda told you my name was Eric Koriku; I prefer to just be known as Eric. I will address you by your name, so please return the favor to me. It would be greatly appreciated." The shorter of the two men snorted and mumbled several inaudible words. Eric sighed, reaching into the small satchel on his upper belt, pulling out a cigar and match. He held the wad of tobacco in his teeth as he lit the other end of the cigar. Link watched carefully as Eric pulled in a breath and blew a puff of smoke out his nostrils; he sneered at the guard. Eric caught the glares of the younger from the corners of his eyes. "I hope you don't mind that I smoke." He shrugged his shoulders. "Zelda forbids it in the castle, and I find it a stress reliever. And guarding the princess and castle is tiring and nerve-wracking, y'know?"

Link's face was full of disgust. He watched as Eric breathed through the burning tobacco several times before sighing, his face showing full defeat. He fell for temptation. "Damn it, give me one." Link didn't look up at the man with the cigar. He just hung his head over the railing and watched the storm clouds coming from up near the Zora's Domain. His face was hot; he felt guilty, at the same time he didn't. Eric smirked, reaching into his small bag, pulling out a second cigar and match, laying them in Link's palm. The boy's eyes widened, his gaze flickering up towards Eric.

"T-thank you." Link looked as his feet, and then back up at Eric. "I really didn't think you'd give me one." He rubbed the nape of his neck with his empty hand, smiling and blushing at the taller guard. Eric returned the look with reposed grin. Link took the cigar in his teeth, lighting the match up against the stone wall, taking the small flame to the end of his cigar. When the rolled tobacco caught flame, Link put out the match, then took the cigar between his index and middle fingers. He sucked in a breath through the cigar, but immediately pulled it from his mouth and doubled over in a fit of coughing. Eric smirked, and patted the boy's back. Embarrassed by his failure, Link's face gradated into a crimson red: he shot up back into his standing position and took the cigar back in his teeth.

Eric smiled at Link. The younger boy smirked back. Link pulled in a small breath, and released a puff of smoke through his nostrils. He coughed slightly into his shoulder, but he returned his face to the guard. "Sorry that I've been an annoying mess up." He gazed down the railing; he saw Zelda and another woman conversing. "Things haven't been going well, I'm sure you can tell, and I've had a hot temper." Link returned to looking Eric in the eye. "I hope you can forgive me for being an ass, although we've only known each other for maybe fifteen minutes." He offered his hand to Eric, who took it firmly in a shake.

"I think I can understand in ways," Eric spoke in an unfeigned manner to Link, releasing a puff of smoke from his lips at the same time. He shrugged, facing the boy. "I know for sure I haven't been through all the stuff you have, heck, you saved Hyrule from doom." Eric smirked at the boy, who remained blank in emotion. "But, I have a vague conceptualization of your feelings." He flicked some of the ash from his cigar over the railing, then to return it to his lips. Eric bit his lip, mentally debated, and then opened his mouth. "If you don't mind, what happened?"

Link sighed, his face drained of color. He gulped, blowing out a ring of smoke, and stood tall. "I love her." His gaze was unfocused and his lips quivered, he put the cigar back to his lips and sucked it in. "She left. I'm alone. I can't see her gain, either." She didn't want to leave, but she had to." Droplets formed in his eyes and overflowed down his cheeks. Link cursed under his breath. He turned away from Eric and rubbed his eyes with his sleeves. "Damn it."

Eric placed a hand on Link's shoulder. "You don't have to hide," he sighed. "Your reaction says it all." He grinned at the shorter boy, taking the cigar back in his mouth. Eric had realized Link wasn't even of legal age to even smoke with him, but he shrugged it off. He needed it. His stresses were obviously straining him. Link raised his head back up to look at Eric, his face neutralized: his frown disappeared and was replaced with the cigar between his lips. Link's eyes flickered down to the small pathway below them where Zelda had been; she was gone.

Eric watched the sky as heavy clouds rolled in from the mountains, he frowned. "We should go inside. Zelda wouldn't want you out here in the rain." He nudged his shoulders up to the sky; Link followed their direction, and shrugged. Eric reached his arms around the younger and held him tight to his chest. The boy wrapped his skinny arms around the guard, held them tight, and whispered words of thanks. Eric then released the boy from his grasp, helping him situate his crutches underneath his arms. Once Link could stand on his own, Eric let go of him and held open the balcony doors. Link slowly plodded in. The boy sat himself on his small cot, leaning his crutches up against the wall nearby. Eric smiled at him; Link just shrugged and smirked. Eric reached into the smack satchel on his belt and pulled out a handful of cigars and matches. He opened Link's palm and placed him in his hands. He winked at the boy. "For when you need them." He patted Link's shoulder, and turned to the door. Eric reached for the doorknob when somebody on the other side opened it for him.

Eric stared blankly at Zelda as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "Smoking again, I see." Her lips were pursed; she reached a hand forward and snatched the lit cigar from the guard's lips. She threw the wadded tobacco on the floor and crushed it under the ball of her foot. Eric gulped, uneasily grinned, and rubbed the nape of his neck with his hand. "No smoking on castle grounds, do you hear me? Do it outside on your free time. I don't want my castle to smell like that horrid smoke." Zelda walked right past Eric, as he stood frozen in the doorway. He broke his trance, hung his head, and walked out the door, looking back at Link warily.

Zelda looked around the room and scrunched her nose at the icky odor. She had just put Eric's cigar out, but the smell of smoke lingered. Zelda shook her head in disgust and turned to face Link in his bed. She only could gape at the sight. The boy was leant up against the wall, a lit cigar in his fingers, occasionally being brought to his mouth for a puff of smoke. Zelda's face turned hot; she clenched her fists; gritted her teeth; and glared at the young hero. "What in goddesses' name are you doing?"

Link raised his head to Zelda's voice, and waved at her. "I'm taking a break." He shrugged, waving the lit cigar in his hands. "Relieving some stress, obviously." He pulled the cigar to his lips and blew some from his lips immediately afterward. He turned back to the princess with a dumb grin plastered on his face. He was only met with a furious and stern glare. Link raised a brow at her. Before he could even speak again, a hand was raised and sent across his face with tremendous force, causing the cigar to fly from his lips and onto the floor. Link took his hand to his burning cheek; Zelda's hand had been spitting with fire as his face was flooded with pungent pain.

"What the hell was that?" Link raised his eyes at her. His hands still clasped around his bright red cheek. He watched as Zelda walked over to his cigar on the floor, uttered words of disgust under her breath, and then crushed it with her foot like she had done to Eric's cigar. Link sighed as she turned away from the pile of broken ash on the floor and knelt next to him on his bed.

"That was you being stupid." Her eyes were not dearth of seriousness as she glared at Link. "You're only eighteen. You still have your whole life ahead of you. I'm not going to allow you to ruin it with this crap." She waved her hand back to the pile of ash. Link didn't look at her, or what she was gesturing to; he already knew. Zelda grabbed his ear, which resulted in his face flushing pink and a squeal of protest, to force him to look at her.

Link's lower lip was slightly puckered out as his eyebrows were scrunched. "Are you sure I have my whole life?" He was raising his voice at her, although they were face to face. "Because as far as I'm concerned, my life feels pretty empty."

"You shouldn't be so pessimistic, Link. Think about all the things you have yet to do! Thank about all that can be done!" Zelda's voice began to rise to a shout. "You still have so much potential – you can become whatever you want. You shouldn't waste that potential with a stupid cigar."

"How is a cigar going to get in the way?" He snapped at Zelda. "Besides, the only thing I ever wanted to do is literally impossible now! I can't even see Midna again, how do you think I feel?"

"Don't be so doubtful!" Zelda stood from the bed and stared down at the boy with intensity.

"How would I do it though?" Link shouted at Zelda. He waved his arms along with his anger as tears bubbled up in the corners of his eyes. "The last time I checked, Midna shattered the Mirror of Twilight. And according to what she told me, if it's broken, it won't work!" Link's fists were tight, allowing a pale white hue to bleed around his knuckles.

"Calm down!" Zelda looked down at the boy. "Stop fretting over the past!" She was trying to reassure Link, but she was failing. She let her opinions slip. "What happened has happened, there's no changing it. You should just forget the whole thing and continue to live the rest of your life! It's been a while since it happened – get over it."

Link's face turned a ghostly shade. His expression was blank, but filled with hurt. "This only happened only two damned weeks ago." Link's voice was quiet, but the tension was building in his tone. It was growing louder as he spoke. "But, you know what? It's still affecting me now!" He practically screamed as tears flooded down his cheeks. Link's eyes were splitting a fiery frustration, yet, they still contained sadness to them.

Zelda gawked at the boy. He looked like he was dying, pleading his last wish to her. But, it was Zelda who wanted to persuade him. "Just try your best to forget her. There are other plenty of other girls like Ilia!"

"You're wrong." Link's eyes were stone set on Zelda. They were hurt. They were angry. They were saddened. They were troubled. "You wouldn't know!" Link's eyes were shut tight, despite the tears that still continued to flow down his cheeks. His jaw was clenched shut. That was when their scream fest ended on a tense silence. Zelda stood awkwardly as Link climbed under the covers of his bed. He wrapped himself up into a fetal position, despite the pain it caused. Zelda sighed, reaching into her side satchel, and pulled out a small, translucent, shard of glass. It was from the mirror. She saw her frown in the small reflection it gave of her.

"Take mine." The boy mumbled from under the sheets. Zelda noticed the shard, all wrapped up in a cloth, lying on his night stand. She picked it up, analyzing its shape; it was larger than hers – it was from more towards the center of the mirror. It had the complete emblem of the triforce in the center, and faint markings of the other pattern on the edges. Zelda sighed, looking at the mound underneath the covers. She slowly made her way to Link's door. As she was about to blow his candle out, a truculent bolt of lightning struck, shortly followed by a thunderous boom that echoed through the castle that rattled the floor. Zelda decided to allow the candle to go out on its own. She opened the door, and walked out into the hallway, slowly shutting the door behind her.

Zelda entered the hallway to find Eric leaning up against the wall, his head staring at his feet. She held both shards of the mirror in her hands. Eric caught eye of the shining shards and nodded. Zelda stood there, debating whether to go through with her plans. Now, she was almost sure it was necessary to go ahead with her idea. It would be very beneficial to Link's health. Zelda stood on her toes, tapping Eric on the shoulder. He looked over at her, brushing his gingery bangs from his face.

"Tomorrow, we will implement it."


	6. Chapter 5 (part one)

**A/N: Thanks for the favs and reviews guys! I'm so excited for how this story is gonna turn out.**

**But as for this chapter, it was getting really really long, so I decided it would be wise and split it into two parts. The second part will get really sad I'm warning you.**

**And as promised, here is the reference art for Eric (in work attire): fav. me /d810agc (remove spaces)**

* * *

It had been two days. Link had heard knocks at his door several times; he hadn't bothered to get up to check who it had been, though. In fact, he hadn't even gotten out of bed since the dispute with Zelda. Link just lay in his cot, without motivation, and stared blankly into empty space. His eyes remained heavy and stinging under the rays of sun that peeked in through the window. It was just past sunrise and the sunlight flashed in Link's room. He turned his head skyward, preventing the sun from glaring into his eyes.

Link stared at the ceiling, running one hand through his mess of hair on his head, and nibbling at the thumbnail of his other. His eyes rolled in their sockets, analyzing each crack and imperfection embedded in the stone walls. Sighing, Link blinked several times, and then met his gaze with a small leather sack. The bag was full and lying on his dresser across the room. Link raised a brow, sitting himself up in bed. He hadn't noticed the sack until now, and his curiosity of its contents was growing by the minute.

Link pulled himself over to allow his feet to hang off the edge of the bed. He swung them back and forth, back and forth in a childish manner. He stared at the floor, wincing due to the slight discomfort rooting from his left ankle; he had removed his splint yesterday, but he still had to keep it wrapped. Link sighed. He knew he would have to stand and walk – he wanted to see what was in the bag. Slowly, Link began to stand, placing all his weight on his right foot. He raised himself and balanced himself on one foot. Then, he gradually began to apply pressure on his left side. Link cringed. His ankle felt like it was on fire; it stung, it cramped, it echoed a bitter sensation. Despite the pain, he continued to stand on both feet, his weight adjusted to his right side, without his crutches. Link's eyes were opened wide. His cheeks were drained of their rosy color. Link shook his head, though, dispersing the strands of fear that remained.

The blonde boy gulped, lifted his left foot and placed it in front of him. His knees shook until his balanced was confirmed, and his weight was shifted, unequally, on both feet. He then gradually began to shift his weight to his left foot as he lifted his right. His face grew tight and bereft of color: the excruciating pain clawed at him as he was frozen in his circumstance. Link bit his lip, holding in his screams, as he resumed from his mental pause, and continued to place his right foot adjacent to his left. He kept on hobbling, left foot then right, until he was directly in front of the dresser. He doubled over, pressing his hands on the top of the dresser. He held himself up as his head hung; sweat was bubbled all over Link's ghostly skin; his breathing had grown heavy due to the pain – he panted rapidly to regain his breath. The boy stood there, without moving, for several minutes. Some of the color in his cheeks returned and his breathing slowed. Link raised himself to stand as upright as he could.

Link reached for the sack, pulling at the yarn which cinched it together. The mouth of the bag opened wide under his tugging and pulling, allowing him to examine the supple insides. He reached his hand in and it met with a soft fabric. Link wrapped his fingers around it and tugged it from the bag. Once he unfolded it, he held the garment up in the air to see what it was. Immediately, his face flashed a bright red: despite all he had been through, he still had innocence to, more personal, subjects. A clean pair of undergarments was in his hands. Link's face was hot, since he knew that it was mostly likely Zelda who prepared the small bag for him. He ended up placing the pair of underwear on the dresser beside the sack. He figured it was only clean clothes, nothing with a sneaky intention.

Link reached his hand back into the bag, and pulled out a pair of trousers. They were a tan, jean-like material that was similar to the pants he had worn for the past year and a half. They were similar to the trousers he would wear back in Ordon. He smirked at the fabric he held up; he was satisfied with them. Link placed the trousers on top of the undergarments that lay on the dresser. He then pulled out the remaining clothing from the sack, immediately throwing it to the ground in a panic. His eyes were wide and he gawked at the garment. He didn't want any more reminders of the "destiny" he had to fulfill. He didn't want anything to remind him of _her_. He didn't want to accept what was before him, but his clothing conditions said otherwise: the old tunic he had on held a musty odor of sweat and illness, and the odor irked him.

Link stared down at the tunic: it was forest green and was practically identical to the tunic entrusted to him by the goddesses. Although he hated the garment that was given to him, he felt disgusting in his current attire. Link began to slip off his shirt, pulling the disheveled fabric over his head, leaving his skin bare: exposing the obvious scar that cascaded down his back. The rough skin ran down his spine to the small of his back. It was the permanent reminder of his hell.

Link proceeded to slip off the trousers from his waist, letting them fall to his feet. He lifted each foot from the fabric on the floor. He stood in the middle of the room, stripped of all but his underwear, and stared at the mirror. He had grown thin: all his strength had left him in the past few weeks. He looked like a typical teenage boy who studied an easy trade that typically the women would learn: he looked as skinny as Hyrulean soldier before training. Link sighed, placing his hands on his hips. His eyes jolted open: he wasn't expecting to feel his hipbones to pungently stick out his sides and poke at his hands. He hadn't been like that before. He always had a thick lining of muscle between his bones and his skin; now that layer barely existed. Link's neutral face mellowed into a frown. He took his fingers through his hair, sweeping his bangs from his face, and then raising a brow at his reflection. He traced the outline of his cheekbones with his finger: they jutted out from under his eyes on his gaunt face.

He sighed; he knew there were other bones that stuck out from his body, and he knew they weren't supposed to do that. Link removed his hand from his face and took it to his lower half. He wrapped his fingers around the bow on the drawstring of his undergarments, and pulled the two strands of string to loosen the waistband. He shoved his thumbs on the inside of his waistband, sighed, and then pulled the fabric down just enough to hide himself. His hipbones were revealed. His reflection only showed the disappointment that filled Link's eyes. With all that has happened to him, all he felt was like he was lost. He gibed his frustrations under his breath, and reached for the clean undergarments from the small pile and laid them atop. Link fixed his thumbs under the waistband, and continued to slip off his current pair, then quickly replacing them with the new and clean undergarments.

"Nice butt, boy." A faceless voice entered through the slightly ajar balcony door. Link jumped, stumbled, and fell to his knees. He quickly covered himself, although he was already hidden by the new undergarments; he whipped his head around the face the entrance of the stranger voice. Link's cheeks were bright red, but his long hair covered his blush from the owner of the intruding voice. He reached up and dragged the clean trousers from off the dresser, and began to slide his legs into them, grumbling curses of annoya nce – pissed off phrases – from underneath his breath. He waited for the voice to speak again – he wanted to know who this person was. He felt violated in a way, but he had an aversion in his gut that it was just a big foolish prank. Then the voice spoke.

"Relax, Link. Relax." It seemed familiar. Too familiar. Whoever this trickster was, was somebody he knew personally. "It's just me." In that moment – a split of a second – Eric swung down from above the balcony doors, a clawshot in hand. Link's eyes widened as he hurriedly finished pulling up the trousers to his hips. He then sat there on the floor, shirtless, and gawking at his unexpected visitor. Eric only blushed and chuckled at the boy's expression. "I'm only kidding with you, calm down." Link gritted his teeth at the guard. "I've been coming to check up on you since the dispute with Zelda. Every other time, except for now, you've been asleep." Eric still had a cheesy grin on his face; he continued to giggle at the younger's frustration. As the guard's amusement lowered, he recomposed himself to a gentle and stately manner. "I came to see if you found the clothes I went and bought for you." Link's face flushed red, he hadn't expected that the guard cared about him that much. "But, I see you did." Eric nudged his shoulder at Link, who only had half of the new outfit on.

"Any-who, I see that you're awake. Since it's my day off, and I'm bored – I assume you are too – would you like to get out of this dusty old room? I was going to head out anyways, but since you're here, I figured I'd see if you'd want to go with." The red-head walked himself over to Link, who still sat on the floor, and offered a hand to the boy. Link glanced up at Eric, and took his hand and heaved himself up. He tried to look his guard in the eye, but he had to stand on the tips of his toes to do so, before sighing and giving up.

Link rolled his eyes. "I'll go," he muttered. He reached down and picked up the new tunic, curling his lips at the green cloth once again, and then slipped it over his head. Although he despised that it was similar to the Hero's tunic, he did note that it was actually comfortable without all the chainmail that had dragged him down. Link reached around the tunic to the tie the fitting straps correctly. Eric paid attention to the numerous times the blonde had to swat is elongating hair from his face to see what his fingers were fumbling with.

The older took the initiative, reached around the boy and took his hair in his hands. Startled by the slight tug on his hair, Link yelped. Eric bunched the hair and tied it in place with an extra ponytail he had found lying around: he allowed the boy's bangs and sideburns to hand loosely by his face, since he assumed that was how Link styled himself. Now, with his hair tied back, Link's pointed ears seemed to stick out more: they were more visible to Eric. The guard stepped away from the shorter, and took a good look up and down his body. Link's face turned red, and it was noticeable that the tips of his ears did as well. Link reached a hand back to his ponytail, taking it in his hand; his blushed darkened in shade as he bit his lip. "I look fine like this?" Eric nodded to the boy, who returned a vague smile; the red-head noticed the emptiness in the boy's emotion – he noticed the pain his lips and the lost look in his eyes; he didn't mention his findings, though. Link released his hand from his ponytail. "So, where will be going today?"

"I was thinking we could head over to the market, and then to Telma's pub." Eric immediately regretted the fact that his tongue always outran his head. Link wasn't old enough to drink, and he didn't want to risk Zelda getting after him for taking a minor to a bar. But, Link did know Telma personally, so he assumed it would be okay. "And then back to my apartment for supper, if that's okay with you, of course." The taller shrugged his shoulders at Link: a goofy grin was plastered on his face, which inhibited his animated nature.

Link nodded. "That's fine with me. Besides, I'll get to see Telma again, if she's in town." He tugged his tunic down to fit him at his shoulders; he wrapped his belt, which held his small pouch, around his shrinking waist. He glanced over at Eric. The guard wore his own clothing rather than his typical chainmail uniform: he wore loose, yet nice, trousers. They made him look of the upper class to which he belonged. He also had a button-down top that had a neatly folded collar and cuffed up sleeves: overtop, he wore a black satin vest which was buttoned down the middle. In the left chest-pocket, there was a small white handkerchief that hung out like a cravat. Eric's red hair was swept to the left of his face neatly: his hair wasn't dirty and loose strands didn't stick out. Gawking over Eric's attire and outward appearance, he truly felt like the farm boy he was. Standing next to the tall man, he felt frivolous and out of place: his argument for such comprised of his messy hair, ranch-hand clothes, and short stature. Link felt unfit to be such a friend to Eric, who was far superior to him: he felt he couldn't accommodate to his friend's supremacy.

Eric smirked at the shorter, who was silent with his mouth parted slightly. He grabbed the boy's boots from across the room, and placed them at his feet, giving him the intimation to slip them on. Link stared up at the man, dazed, until he came to the realization of what Eric had just done. His face blossomed pink of embarrassment as he quickly drew on his boots: he grazed the leather gently against his left ankle – it was essentially healed, but was still considerably sore. Eric winced as he watched the boy's grovel to the pain from his ankle. As the pain dwindled down to being barely noticeable, Link stood back on both of his feet, as equally as he could. The off duty guard reached for the door and opened it for the young boy. The blonde strode through, nodding a thank you to the red head.

Eric followed Link through the doorway: he motioned to the boy to wait where he was. The blonde's brows rose: he was intrigued. The red head scurried down to the hall to the storage room: Zelda had some of Link's extra belongings in there. Eric entered the room, scanned it quickly, grabbed the nearest jacket, and swiftly walked back to Link. He practically threw the jacket into the boy's arms. "Put it on. I don't want you catching a cold." Link nodded, placing his arms in the sleeves of the coat, and them pulling it up to his shoulders.

The blonde's face lit up with a pained smile once he was accustomed and fitted in the coat. The duo then began to head down to the castle doors. Eric heaved one open, permitting Link a sliver of space for him to hobble through. Eric lead the way as Link followed behind him as they weaved through the castle yard, finally making it to castle town. The taller of the two took the shorter under this arm, dragging him through the dense crowed: his face remained stolid as many blunt citizens mumbled gibes of the gay guard – the mumbled hatred and shame toward the guard for taking the hero.

Link was caught off guard by their actions, although he didn't know much of Eric, he didn't care: he was a good friend, and he had enough of a heart to end the abusive sayings. He halted his strides as Eric continued, until his hand fell off Link's shoulder. The red head turned, staring at Link, muddled and inquisitive about the short boy. Link's head hung – faced the ground – and his bangs and sideburns fell with gravity as well. His jaw was clamped tight and he closed his eyes. The crowd began to stare at him, forming a big circle around him – he was the hero after all, they all knew who he was.

"Why are you all so crude?" He mumbled. His words were distorted by the chatter of the citizens staring at him. Fed up, he jolted his head up, and shouted, "I asked, why are y'all so crude?" Link's eyes were wide; his nose was scrunched up, teeth clenched, and lips snarling up. His eyes were filled with fire, and his fuel was their disrespect to Eric. "Now, I am the hero. You all know that, I know that. I shouldn't have to say any more than that. I am not stuck up; I am not a snobbish brat; I am _not _one who prejudices people! If I am your hero, I know many of you look up to me. Why can't you act like me then?" He paused, taking a break and surveying the silent crowd. Their faces looked as astonished as Eric's was, except his face was burning red. "So what if he does have a thing for guys?" He swung his arm over in the direction of Eric, who buried his face in his hands. "I wouldn't care. He is loyal to Princess Zelda and Hyrule, and since he is a soldier, he is willing to risk his lives for you. That's all that should matter. I don't care. You shouldn't either." He shook his head, as he began to walk toward Eric, taking his arm and dragging the guard behind him. The crowd split for Link and Eric, and didn't say a word. Although some still whispered crude comments, they were about Link now; he didn't care anymore. He was too miserable to give notice.

The boys quickly exited the plaza, and headed down the back alleyway, avoiding the crowd at the marketplace. Eric was released from Link's grasp. "We're heading to Telma's first, I'm assuming." Link grunted, and nodded. Eric beamed as he followed the determined short boy. He aided the boy down the stairs before they reached her pub. Eric heard no noise, and sighed. He was grateful it wasn't currently busy. He darted in front of Link, holding the door open for the small boy. Link smiled up at Eric in return, his appreciation unfeigned.

As Eric continued to open the door for himself, he was greeted by Telma's shriek and the sight of her running toward the boy. The woman grabbed the small boy by his middle, and held him tight in a hug, lifting him off his feet. It was obvious that Link couldn't breathe under her tight grip. His face was red and winded, as she continued to shove the air from his lungs in a tight hug. Coughing and sputtering, Telma took the indication and fixed Link back on his two feet: he hobbled as air returned to his chest. The plump woman guided the boy over to a barstool, Eric sitting to the right of him.

Telma put herself behind the counter, placing her hands on her hips, smirking at the two boys. "What can I get you two gentlemen?"

Link remained silent, while Eric took a cursory survey of the variety of drinks the woman had to offer. He pointed to one on the far left; Telma turned her head in the direction of Eric's direction. "Two shots of that rum, please." The red head grinned at the woman while reaching for his wallet from his trousers. Telma brushed him off, signaling him that the drinks were on her. The plump woman filled two shot glasses to the brim, and slid them in front of Eric. She then faced Link. "Now, what can I get you darling?" But she was silenced when the red head slid one of the shot glasses in front of the boy. Her eyes widened.

"Link, I know that you're not old enough to have that." Telma scolded the boy, grabbing the tip of his ear. Her grin remodeled into a frown as she watched the boy glare at her.

Link tugged his ear from Telma's grip. "I don't care."

"You're going to be in some hot water with Zelda if she finds out." Telma stuck her hands to her hips in a cross manner.

The blonde shrugged his shoulders. "I said I didn't care."

"How old are you?"

"What?" Link looked up at Telma, baffled by her question.

"Are you deaf? I asked how old you are." Telma folded her arms across her chest.

"Eighteen." Link rolled his eyes, taking the shot glass to his lips and downed it.

"Last time I checked, you were seventeen."

"I have a birthday, y'know." The boy snapped back at Telma.

Telma gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes. "Oh, really?" She began to tap her foot against the hard floor. "When was it? Why wasn't I told?"

Link gulped. His face turned white and he had a look in his eyes that stated he was going to vomit. "I-I don't want to talk about it." His head looked down at the countertop: his eyes wide and lips parted, his breathing started to become labored.

Telma grabbed the boy's ponytail, and yanked his head up, making him face her. His lips formed a scowl as she looked firmly in his eyes. It was guaranteed he wasn't going to talk. She sighed. "Link, I am not here to be a mean woman – no, I am not a mean woman. I am doing this because I know you're young, and you shouldn't be doing things as such." She pointed her hand to the empty shot glass.

Link didn't look her in the eye. "The day she left." His eyes welled up with tears, he shut them tightly; they still allowed the tears to fall. His face tightened as he tried to resist the somber feelings overwhelming him: he failed. His tight lips turning into a silhouette of the longing he felt. "The d-day she left was my birthday." He sobbed. He planted his head on the countertop as he cried like a baby: loud and tearful. Yet, he was extremely anguished. Eric rubbed the boy's back as he cried. Telma and Eric exchanged looks: Telma's face retained and expressed her uneasiness for Link's mental state. Eric's eyes held a dismal fatality – his heart was beating softer by seeing his friend in such pain. He felt in debt to the boy: Link stood up for him earlier, yet he didn't know what to do for him now.

"Oh goddesses, I would do anything to get her back." Link slammed his fist on the counter-top, ceasing his cries for a mere moment. "Take a limb, take my home. I just want her back." The sobs from the boy were painful to the ear: they were depressing: they hurt.


	7. Chapter 5 (part two)

Telma hurried the last of the customers out, leaving Link and Eric at the counter, before closing shop for the day. The blonde boy remained face down on the counter; the red head rubbed the troubled boy's back, in attempt to soothe him in his distress. Link had grown quite over the past few minutes: his head rested on the tops of his hands, acting as a barrier between him and the counter. His face was blank, but his eyes were heavy with somber: they looked like they had given up. They stared off into empty space, unfocused and dismayed.

Eric made tiny circles around Link's spine as he moved his hand along the boy's back. He felt the scar stick out from the boy's skin – he could only imagine its untamed shape snaking down Link's spine. His eyes perked as he felt his way around the scar tissue. Then Eric's hand met with a shoulder blade, which jutted out like a knife. He pressed harder on the boy's back; he felt each rib from under the boy's tunic. He felt the bones of his back and shoulders: he felt the boy's anatomy from underneath his fingertips. Eric's eyes widened, glancing at Telma in a worried manner.

The skinny boy swung his hands back, shooing away Eric's. The red head pulled back as Link pushed himself up, slouching at the counter, his head hanging between his hands. "If I wanted a back massage, I'd pay for one," Link snapped at Eric. The skin around his eyes puffy and red: lips pale, and teeth grit. He stood from his barstool, and hobbled to the door of the pub. Eric only stood and watched as the boy's emotions began to unfold.

"Telma, can I ask a favor of you?" The blonde's neck was arched slightly, allowing him to view her. The plump woman quickly walked up to him, placed her hands on her hips, and smiled down at the boy.

"Honey, you can ask anything of me," the woman gently spoke. Link nodded, before opening his lips, pausing, and then speaking.

"Can we keep this secret from Zelda?" His eyes looked into hers as Telma grew ill at ease.

The woman closed her eyes and sighed. "Yes." She turned her eyes to Eric – he was as wide eyed as her. "We can." She caved: it typically wasn't usual of her to cave, but she did. Her head turned down as Link walked right out of her pub. She failed the boy. He was falling apart, and he needed her. She failed him, though.

Eric rose to his feet, downing his shot glass in a single gulp. "I should go after him." He began to head for the entrance. He slipped on his leather and coat and began to go by Telma. But the woman stuck her arm out in front of him, halting him.

"No." Her gaze floated and met with Eric's. "You will not." Her voice dropped to an icy chill. The red head perked a brow, bespeaking his curiosity. Telma lowered her arm. "The boy needs a break." Her words grew solemn and separated. "He's not going to clear his mind unless we give him the space he needs." She knew she was wrong, but she didn't have a clue as to what to do.

Eric nodded and sighed, returning to his barstool, and sitting. His eyelids hung heavy and he didn't bother to brush his bangs from his face. His eyes flickered up at Telma. "Another shot, please," he muttered, slamming his empty shot glass back on the counter. Telma smirked, despite the uptight atmosphere.

Link scrunched his shoulders as he walked: his eyes followed his breath as it left his lips, becoming visible in the chilled autumn air. He slouched, sighed, and continued to plod forward. He reached his hand back into his pouch on his belt and pulled a cigar from it. He held the wadded tobacco between his index and middle fingers of his right hand, as he used his left to light it. Link placed the blazed cigar in his teeth as he eyed a bench, making b-line toward it. As he sat himself down, the truth of the scenery exposed itself in upmost detail.

A young boy, known as Hyrule's hero, was sickly and pale. He sat on a bench outside in the cold of the autumn season, a lit cigar in his blue tinted lips. His eyes carried heavy and dark bags underneath them. The boy was as bony as a skeleton. He was still, except for the occasional pulling the cigar from his mouth. His outward appearance reflected him as if he were antiqued – older than he really was. He looked much older than eighteen. But, the grave fire in his eyes conveyed his untimely maturing: he was too young to experience the solemn situation he had been in. The boy's expression grimaced as the crowd's comments began to be the focus of his attention.

"Is that Link? Smoking? How foolish. He'll die young."

"Is that _really_ the boy who saved us? He looks far too scrawny to have done so – ha! I bet Princess Zelda's soldiers did most of the work for him!"

"Is that kid okay? Looks half-dead as it is."

"I don't want my kids to see that man how he is – they look up to him. All he seems to be is a bad influence."

Although he tried to remain as nonchalant and apathetic as possible, the words were bitter; they stung – they stung in the quintessence of animosity. Link felt the hurt build up in his blood from the words of arrogant strangers. He bit his lip, holding back his desire to shout back at the crowd. He wanted to give them the reprisal they deserved. Link's tongue raged with countless possibilities of retaliation, ways to tell the truth of the journey – and how it all hurt him in the head. The ideas only hung their heads and remained a sparse hum in his throat.

Out of the blue, he felt an unexpected tap on his right shoulder. Instinctively, Link turned his head to the stranger. He was met face-to-face with a young child. The little boy had an innocent face, and he bent forward, almost touching his nose with Link's. The boy's large, bright blue eyes stared directly into his. The boy's stringy blonde hair hung in his face. His inquisitive tongue vaguely expressed a lust for knowledge. Link's lips drooped as he stared at the boy. He felt a spark of memory bubble up in his head. The child seemed familiar – too familiar for just a stranger.

"Excuse me, mister." The boy shyly fiddled with his thumbs. "I c-can sit here, right?" The boy blushed and his cheeks turned a deep red. His lips formed a cheesy smile to persuade Link.

Link flashed his eyelids once or twice, before smiling at the child, nodding his head. "I don't mind." He gleamed at the boy. "But, is your mother okay with this? I assume she wouldn't want her little baby to talk with a complete stranger off the street." He reached his arm around the bench where the boy sad.

The child plopped his rear end onto the bench, next to Link. His feet hung over the edge, and he swung his legs back and forth, back and forth. He grinned up at Link. "Oh, she's fine. She's over there watching us!" The boy pointed across the street to a petite, hazel-haired woman. "Hi momma!" The little boy frantically waved his hand at her. The woman turned, revealing her ghastly pale face. She gently grinned at the duo, waved to the boy, and continued to run her eyes into the distance. It took Link seconds to remember her face. Then his stomach dropped. He gaped at the woman: he knew her. She had _died_ when he was just a child. Link bit his lip, glancing over at the boy. He noticed the ghastly tint to the boy's skin as well – he had the same time as the woman did.

"Well, she's not my real momma." The boy sighed, turning his head to his feet. Link returned his attention to the child. He gulped as his knees began to shake. He knew the boy, too. He died the same time the woman did. "My momma and daddy are still alive. So is my best friend." Link shuddered as the boy pointed to the woman. "She was his momma. She takes care of me now. We watch my mommy and my daddy and my brother, Colin, and my new baby sister."

Link wanted to vomit. He gulped, as his knees shook more and more. He spoke in the most calm manner possible, though. "What's your daddy's name? I think I may know him."

The boy looked up at the older. "Momma says that his name is Rusl. R-U-S-L. That's how you spell it." He perked up his lips into a small grin.

Link's heart sped up. This boy was his childhood friend. It was all coming back to him in a rush of blood to his brain. The boy was Rusl's first son, who would've been Link's current age, if he were still alive. He got sick with a brutal illness when he was four. His mother took care of him, but contracted the illness as well. They both died. But, now, they were both here. "I know your dad." He paused. "He's like the father I never had."

The boy's face lit up. "My daddy is _very_ nice like that!" He smiled at Link, but quickly faded to gray. "I know you too." Link's throat tightened and his eyes widened. The child's eyes began to tear up and the older internally gasped. "You… you were my best friend." The child took his sleeve to his eyes, drying them. He leaned on Link's side, shoving his face in the older's shirt. "I missed you."

Link sighed. "I missed you, too" He embraced the boy and held him close, murmuring soft whispers, silencing the boy's tears. Link looked down at the child; he pressed his faced against the young boy's head and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Seth." Tears wanted to slide their way down his face.

The boy grimaced a smile, but his face fell back to a remorseful state. Seth pulled himself away from Link. His eyes wavered as he began to twiddle with his thumbs, fidgeting everywhere. Finally, he took a breath and looked back up at Link, his eyes still puffy and red. Seth faced his friend with an unfeigned sorrow and pity in his stare, his condolences told by looks. "Why are you so sad?"

Link froze. He took it as shock that the boy could see so deeply into him. He trembled. Words he wanted to say were trapped in his throat. All he could manage to mumble was, "How… how do you know I'm sad? How do you know I'm miserable?" The tears began to free themselves from the prison of his eyes.

Seth shrugged. "You're smoking"- he gestured toward the cigar in Link's left hand-"and you're really thin." The boy poked the older's chest – his ribs sticking out like a sore thumb. "And your eyes – they carry burdens that they shouldn't have to carry." The boy stood on the bench so he stood eye level with Link. He took his index finger and outlined Link's cheekbones.

The boy pulled his hand away as Link buried his face in his hands. He grit his teeth and hid his pain. He halted his cries, and pulled his head up. Revealing tears dried on his face, and his puffy eyes, he looked at Seth. "There's a girl." He choked up for a moment. "And I really, _really _miss her."

Seth shook his head, and sat himself on Link's lap. The older boy squirmed under the ghastly child's weight. The boy took his hands and wrapped himself around Link, pulling his face tight into the tall boy's chest. The child smiled uneasily, to comfort his friend without crying. Link turned pale and looked down at the child, taking him in his arms. "But you don't have to want to die." The boy buried his face into Link's chest. Link's face was covered in tears streaming down his cheeks.

The teenager's face was blank as he stared straight out in front of him. Across the street stood the figure of his mother, staring right back at Link. Her eyes accumulated with tears and she hid her face behind her hazel hair. A mother to see her child want to die – a painful sight it truly was. She was proud of him, without a doubt, for all he had done. She sympathized for him, with his lover leaving him – like Link's father abandoning her; she knew her son's pain. The woman saw her son's face cringe, and she fell to her knees. Seth noticed from the corner of his eye, and hugged Link tighter.

Link grabbed Seth's head, and pushed his chin to rest on the boy. "I'm sorry." His grip released, and he pushed the boy off his lap and next to him on the bench. Seth parted his lips, preparing to say something, but sniffled and hung his head. The boy's adopted mother, walked across the street to the boys. She took Seth's hand, helped him stand, and looked at Link. "I hope I don't have to see you soon." The woman choked. She took her sleeve to her eyes and dried them, before leaving with her adopted son. She didn't wave or say good bye. Seth, however, kept looking back at Link. He waved once, and frowned at his slouched over friend, before he and his guardian disappeared into thin air.

Link silently sat on the bench sobbing. He watched the last bit of embers of his cigar fade to nothing: he dropped the burning tobacco a while ago. He wiped his tears before mustering the anger to stand. He rose, and began to walk back to the castle, a glum tone in his steps. His feet dragged and scuffed against the ground. A fed up expression scared away anybody slightly inclined to talk with the famous Hero of Twilight.

Children saw him from behind, ran to catch up with him, only to see a dead face of sorrow. Their smiles turned to horrified frowns, and they ran. Woman sneered away, covered their mouths with their hands, to hide their shock of his outward transformation. Men scoffed at his disheveled, unkempt, heartless appearance. He shrugged it off – he didn't have the heart to care anymore. He cared about nothing anymore.

He reached the castle entrance, pulled a cigar from his belt, lit the thing and placed it in his lips. Link walked right in the castle yard, noticing Zelda sitting the garden writing – writing in a small leathered notebook. He halted his steps and watched her – her eyes were swollen and rosy. She had been crying. Why? He wouldn't have known. Link then noticed Eric standing, rather leaning, up against a tree near Zelda. His lips moved slowly and solemnly. His eyes heavy and guilty as he spoke to the princess; Link knew it was about him, without a doubt.

Then Zelda looked up and met gazes with the young boy. Eric was stopped in his speech as Zelda stood from the bench, dropping her notebook, and running to Link. She leaped to the shorter boy, grabbing him in a tight hug. She didn't want to let go. But his smoky odor only pushed her away. Her happiness of his return only transformed into anger of his disobedience and ignorance.

"I thought I told you not to smoke." She crossed her arms at the boy, and began to tap her foot repeatedly. Link only looked away from the princess as he blew out a ring of smoke. She reached up and grabbed his hand: his hand was comparably larger than hers, despite that he stood half a head shorter than her. Link glared at her. Zelda's eyes widened, and she slowly released his hand. "Why so crude all of a sudden?"

"Leave me alone." Link frowned at Zelda, placing the cigar back in his lips. "I can make my own decisions. I am an adult now." Shocked, Zelda took a step back, parting her lips. She wanted to speak but was scared. The mindless teenager was in a crisis yet felt the nerve to say he was independent although he was falling apart – mentally dying. She would show him right.

Eric ran over to the duo just in time to hear the words leave Zelda's mouth. "You will not be staying in my castle, then." Eric opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted.

"Fine," Link mumbled, crossing his arms. "Just let me gather my things."

Zelda took a step back, and gestured her arms towards the castle door. "Go ahead. Just be out by seven." The boy nodded and walked up to his room, a slight limp in his step. Eric sneered; he knew the boy put too much strain on his ankle with all his walking today. He cursed at himself, giving the boy the idea of going out for the day. He then looked right at Zelda.

"Why are you letting him do this?" Eric questioned Zelda. The princess only sternly looked at Eric, repulsing in him cautiously taking a step or so back.

"He needs to learn to live up to his word." She turned her head away from Eric.

"But, he's in mental despair. He isn't thinking straight!" Eric pleaded. He crossed his hands and stood lower than Zelda, and looked up at her with puppy eyes. "He is my friend and I do not want anything to happen to him." He stood to his typical height and placed a hand on Zelda's shoulder.

"If he wants to go, he can." Zelda whispered, brushing off Eric's hand. The man sighed, forcing his palm onto his forehead and dragging it down his face.

Both Eric and Zelda turned their attention to the slamming door, with Link exiting, now with a sack over his shoulder. His face was straight, unmoved by Eric's worried eyes and Zelda's frustrated lips. He trudged past the two and continued to exit the castle yard. He had no home to return to, now. Unless he went back to Ordon, which would take too long, he would sleep in the street. Unless.

It was nearly midnight. Telma didn't like knocks on her door so late. It was cold out; maybe it was a friend, or a homeless woman or child. If it were, she wouldn't mind. If it was some asshole looking for a drink or a one night stand, she wasn't going to restrain herself from grabbing an empty bottle to chase them away. She yawned, slipping on her clogs and bathrobe, before heading down to the door. She opened it to find a familiar face.

He was thin and pale and ghastly. He held a sack over his shoulder, and he shivered in an oversized sweater. His hair was still tied back in a ponytail like earlier, but his face seemed more horrified than she had last seen him. Tears were dried around his eyes, and remnants of their flow were leftover on his cheeks. His eyes were red and puffy, while his nose was red and stuffy. She covered her lips with one hand, but pretended to yawn to prevent from offending the boy

"Telma," the boy spoke. His voice faltered each time his body shook. "Can I ask a favor of you?" She nodded. "Can I stay here?"

The plump woman took him in by the shoulder. "Link, you always have a place here. Don't ever forget that." She hugged the boy, pressing his face against her shoulder. Her face widened. She felt tears soak her shirt, and shortly enough she heard little sobs coming from his throat. Slowly, Telma reached her arms around the boy, embracing his boy against hers. She rubbed his back and head, calming his cries. The two stood there for half an hour, before Telma led Link to a bed near hers. She didn't want to leave him alone the night.

Telma and the boy sat on the bed prepared for him. "I messed up," Link coughed. "I always mess things up, or they go wrong for me." He gripped onto the woman tighter than before., she only sighed. "Why do the goddesses make me feel so empty?" Telma wanted to cry. She held the boy in her arms as he silently cried.

"You are not a mess up." She held him close. "Yes, things go wrong. But the good always outweighs the bad." She stuffed the boy's head in the crook of her neck. "You saved the country. You should not be ashamed of anything now." She let go of the boy, and turned his shoulders so he faced her. "You are a hero, Link. You will always be one." Telma hugged him one last time before putting herself to bed. "And, I'm always here for you. Don't forget that."

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**A/N: Thanks for reading this all the up to here (it means a lot)! And sorry for all the murdering of the feels. You'll need tissue the next chapter. But the ghostly mother and Seth, that's a headcanon of mine. Let me explain: Link and Seth were best friends as children. Link lived with his mother, since his father abonded them when Link was born. Seth contracted an illness with a high mortality rate. Being the midwife, Link's mother took care of Seth. Unfortunately, she contracted the illness as well. In result, both died around the same time, leaving Link alone. It is then that Rusl steps in as Link's fatherly figure. Yup. As always, read and review? Thanks! **

**And if you follow my blog (stvpidpoems on tumblr) you can receive updates on next chapters, artwork of scenes that I've done and all that good stuff!**


	8. Chapter 6

**A/N: GRAB YOURSELF BOX OF TISSUES NOW.**

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Telma woke to an empty bed to her right. She sighed, pushing herself upright and getting up from bed. She put her feet in her clogs, and changed herself from her sleep clothes to her day outfit. Tying her hair in a bun, she looked down to the main floor, to which she saw Link fumbling a tune with her fiddle. She cringed at how off his intonation was, but he was occupying himself from drowning. That pleased her.

Slowly and quietly, she placed her feet on the steps, in attempt to go and sneak up on the boy. Telma reached the bottom of the staircase when the wooden floor creaked under her unbalanced weight. Link jumped, almost dropping the violin. He turned and faced Telma, his skinny face turning bright red, along with the tips of his ears. His lips twitched as he gently placed the instrument back in its case.

He rubbed the nape of his neck with his left hand. "Sorry, I shouldn't have touched your fiddle without asking…" His words trailed off into silence. "I… uh, sorry." He stared down at the floor, his face wide and rosy.

Telma grinned at Link, placing her hand on his shoulder. Immediately, he looked back up at her. "I don't mind." She smiled. "If it makes you happy, I'm okay with it." Link smirked slightly, but almost simultaneously, it disappeared.

Link shrugged. "I'm rather tired." He glanced over at the side room of the bar: it remained pretty empty throughout the day. "Would you mind if I just relaxed over there for the day? I won't bother your customers or business." He rubbed the inside of his left arm with his right and bit his lip: he seemed over anxious for a simple question.

Telma nodded. "You can. I'll check up on you every so often, when traffic gets low." She patted the boy's shoulder. "I've got to start getting the dishes cleaned, so go make yourself comfortable." Link nodded and did just as he was told. As Telma walked behind the bar counter, Link walked opposite to the side room. A musty old couch and a table sat in the side room. He placed himself on a wooden chair.

It was typically used for drunken men, but he felt miserable enough to be drunk. Link watched as each man came in sober, but left an intoxicated, disgraceful mess. It went on for hours, getting worse in the latter parts of the day. By then, Telma had already brought him several glasses of water, and pieces of bread. He only drank he water, leaving the bread untouched. Link only watched the sun set through the window, and the men at the bar were only getting rowdier by the hour.

Link stood from his chair at the small table, and sat up against an empty wall. He leaned up against the corner while Telma dealt with the rowdy and busy customers. His emotions were coming to reality as he pondered his head. He remembered being so happy and care free at one point in his life – now as each day passed, and each misfortune left him feeling mutilated, he felt the burdens growing heavier. He felt that it was growing harder to push himself out of bed in the mornings, and make himself at least look presentable. His heart and head ached often, and when they did, it felt like everything was crumbling and collapsing on top of him. He didn't possess the courage he had back then: when he was with _her_. He had changed.

He felt unneeded in many aspects after his return from his journey. Back in Ordon, despite it being troublesome, they all had figured out how to deal without him: without their ranch hand. When he had come back, he learned of such, and didn't want to come out. His longing for mutilation was growing stronger by the day, now. He figured nobody would recognize him as what was supposed to be their 'chosen hero', the 'one the goddesses chose, before he was even born, to save the land of light and twilight', the 'noble hero of twilight'. He felt he didn't meet up to any of those titles anymore. Link only felt an empty burden in his heart: a burden that rose in self hatred and sorrow – a longing for a way to cope, a way to relieve the misery.

He took a deep breath, exhaling in a sigh, and looked over his right shoulder to Telma over in the main pub. She made contact with Link for a brief second and her happy smile reconstructed into flat lips when she noticed the lost feeling in the boy's eyes. Excusing herself from a customer, she took another glass of water to the boy. She walked over to the other side of the room and knelt by Link, who was now sitting on the floor.

"Darling, I know you're not okay." She placed her hand on his shoulder. He was cold and terribly skinny. Her hand sunk his sweater and outlined his bony shoulder and back. Such a sight repelled her: she remembered a time – a time not too long ago – when the boy was fit, muscular, and healthy – not on the verge of death. Telma took a small gasp, but it was inaudible – she only wanted to hide her fear from the poor boy: he was troubled enough as it was. "You don't look so good."

Another sigh. Link rolled his head toward the woman, looking at her with his glassy eyes. Quickly, he shook himself back to consciousness. "Y-yeah. I'm fine." He reached for the glass in Telma's hand, taking a sip of the water. He placed it on the floor next to him. Link shivered, tightened the position he was curled up in. Slowly, he turned his head away from the plump woman next to him. He gritted his teeth and tried to hold back, he didn't want to worry the woman any more than he had to: she had done enough for him already. But, she had already noticed his feared expression, and that he hadn't eaten a single thing she had brought him.

Telma sighed and frowned. She knew the boy was troubled, but she was oblivious to how much trouble he had dug himself into. She grabbed Link's shoulders and pulled him to her chest. She placed her hand on his head, and rubbed his back. She put her head down next to his ear and whispered, "Link, I care for you. Please, if anything is wrong, come to me. I know things are hard for you right now. But, I promise, everything will turn out alright." She tightened her grip on the boy – she didn't want to let go of him. Link only gritted his teeth harder and was fighting back the tears trying to make home in his eyes.

But, Telma heard her name being called by a drunken man in the main hall of the pub. She sighed, releasing the boy from her grasp and leaning him back up against his wall. "Why don't you climb onto that sofa? There are blankets in the closet over there if you're cold." She nudged her shoulder to the doors on her right. Folding her arms, she eyed the boy's eyes: sunken in with dark bags they carried. "That's wasn't a suggestion, that was an order. You need some rest."

The blonde refused to look back at the plump woman, but he knew she wouldn't leave until he attempted to make an effort. He sighed, nodded, and began to pull himself to his feet. Slight remnants of pain singed in his ankle as he placed weight on it. Link picked up on the lift of Telma's frown as he sat himself on the edge of the couch. He still couldn't look her directly in the eye, though. He felt waterworks form along his eyelids, he blinked them away quickly. She couldn't see it.

The plump woman sighed silently, turned her back to the boy, and returned to the main hall of the pub. She had to take care of the ruckus before it turned to disaster. Link cracked a peek and espied Telma turn a corner: he was alone and not visible to anyone or anything. Slowly, Link pulled his knees up to the seat: he rested his head on them as he held them tightly in place. That was when he caved: silently, the teardrops freed themselves from his eyes – they trickled down the side of his cheeks, dripping off his chin and onto the couch.

He felt so empty. He wanted to give up. It had been a lonely time coming ever since she left. After creating such a bond, watching it get crushed right before his eyes hurt. He felt so unneeded. Back in Ordon, they all figured out how to live on without him – he had no job when he returned. The goddesses didn't even need him anymore – unless this mental roller coaster was all of their doing, playing with him like a voodoo doll. He only felt like a nuisance. Since Zelda had found him in his basement, she only was on his tail. He only annoyed her; he only messed up and disappointed her; he had failed to meet her expectations. He only felt that he failed himself, with all the situations he couldn't handle after she left. He couldn't do anything without her anymore.

Once he felt his eyes dry up, he sat himself back up – taking the edge of his sleeve and dried his eyes. Telma caught a peek of the boy hiding his evidence as she turned the corner. She sighed. He was not alright. But she knew that already. She had to stop lying to herself about the boy: Link needed her. Link needed them all. She grabbed yet another piece of bread from behind the counter, enveloping it in a small towel. Excusing herself from her customers, Telma paced to the side room to find Link leaning back against the wall. But, he rested on the small sofa this time. She slightly smiled, she was at least glad he wasn't on the musty and dusty floor anymore.

Taking one of Link's hands, she placed the bread in his palm and wrapped his fingers around it for him. He sat there and watched the woman play with his hand. When she finished, he looked up at her, confused. Her eyebrows were scrunched, but obviously not due to anger. "Eat," she demanded of him. Telma wanted to make sure he ate; she didn't want him collapsing on her due to how thin he was becoming.

Link groaned and nibbled off small bits off the crust of the bread, hoping it would convince her to let him be. His face looked down while his eyes flickered over at the woman who stood there, towering over him. He wanted to throw the bread down – refuse to eat it; but, he didn't want to ruin Telma's beneficial intentions. He only whimpered underneath his breath, hoping she wouldn't notice. But the woman snapped her head back to staring at him. He looked back down at himself immediately. He wasn't going to admit to being a coward.

Telma knelt down to the boy. "Tell me," she whispered to him, "what is so wrong, dear? Is it more than the absence of Midna? I saw you dry your eyes only minutes ago."

The words that left her lips incited the draining of color from Link's face. He just gritted his teeth and turned away. He loved the woman like a mother, but this was one thing he couldn't tell her. He didn't want her to know how miserable he was making himself. It would devastate her even more than she already was."N-no. I'm fine." He shook limitedly. Being sad was one thing: wanting to die and mutilate oneself was another. "I'm not a coward." He knew he was lying: cowards don't feel in such ways.

Telma sighed in defeat. Link wasn't going to open up anytime soon, and it was quite obvious to her. She already knew he was depressed over Midna's leaving, but something more was going on – something he didn't want to tell her. Watching the boy in his current state hurt Telma, she hated not having much to do for the boy. She wanted to help lift the weight of the world off his shoulders, but each time she attempted he refused. And besides what she had just forced him to swallow, he hadn't eaten. Back when they first met, he came in and ate her food up like a pig: but now she barely could get him to eat a crumb. Despite the duties placed on him, and the stress on Hyrule – those were better times for Link.

The two sat there in silence, but it was cut short by the shouting of a drunken man and a shatter of glass. Telma shot up and grumped to herself – something about hoping nobody was hurt. She turned to Link for a second, and smiled widely as he looked up at her, despite his expression being the same of a lost child's. "I'll be right back. Hopefully these idiots haven't broken my things, or themselves." She rolled her eyes sarcastically and quickly stepped into the main hall.

Link nodded and lightly smiled for the woman. Deep down, he didn't feel like putting a good expression on his face – he only did it for Telma. Sighing, he took another nibble from his bread, hoping to subdue the ache in heart from his longing and emptiness. He had no honest desire to eat, he wasn't physically hungry – at least he convinced himself of so. He didn't deserve the food before him, he had taken so much from her: emotionally and mentally. He couldn't take anything else.

"Get out! Get out!" Telma yelled to the drunken men: Link jumped by her harsh tone. "You drink much of my liquor, and then you get in a fist fight of a quarrel and hurt an innocent man! I must take him to the doctor now – I better not see you here ever again. And I mean it." She shoved the last of the men out. "I cannot leave you children alone, can I?" Her voice intensified as she spoke.

Link only sat and watched as Telma shooed the last of the men out of the pub, the injured man sat slumped in a chair. She took the man over her shoulder, and turned to Link. "I'll be back soon, hopefully." She shot a wavered glance at the drunken man. "Don't get in too much trouble!" She falsely smiled at the boy and waved before exiting the pub, closing the door behind her. Telma didn't feel safe with leaving Link alone, but giving him some sort of confidence may help, she figured.

As soon as he heard the doorknob click shut, Link shot up from his spot on the couch and went to the bar counter. He rummaged behind the scenes for paper and ink. He found an inkwell, pen, and blank receipts: it could do for his purposes. He dipped the pen in the ink and brought it to paper. He started writing with the typical _Dear Telma_, but he quickly shook his head and crumpled the paper. Link stood there, pen in hand, for several minutes. His face was scrunched up as he was pained by the words he wished to say. All he managed to write was _I'm sorry._ He left the scribbled receipt on the counter, visible to Telma for when she returned.

He felt his stomach churn over and over as the thoughts of what he was about to perform crossed his mind. Link gripped his head in his hands. He had burdened too many people in too quick of a time: Telma, Zelda, Eric, Ilia, his dead mother, and Seth. He couldn't handle the pressure of it all. He cursed at himself, going over to grab his boots, bundling his feet in them. Link pulled an ownerless scarf over his neck before heading back over to the bar counter.

Behind the counter was an array of a variety of wines, rums, whiskeys, liquors, vodkas and beers. Telma had arranged them in the strength of the alcohol residing in them. Link sighed, and pulled two full, unopened bottles of liquor off Telma's shelf. The boy reached into his wallet, pulling out a purple rupee, and placed it on Telma's counter – on top of the note. He figured it would be enough to cover the expense of the drinks he was taking.

Link reached for the front door of the bar. He twisted open the doorknob, cringing as he pushed open the door. He walked through the threshold, and closed the door behind him. He stared up the starry sky, hands hanging by his side, with a liquor bottle in each. Tears began to bubble up in his eyes, but he blinked them away. It was not time for that. Yet. Link sniffled, rubbed his nose with his sweater, and shivered. The late autumn night was growing colder by the minute.

Sighing, Link began to trek to the castle. He wanted to apologize to Zelda before he left completely. If he didn't do so, he would've burden more than he would have wanted to. He popped open the cork of one bottle with his thumb and brought it to his lips. He cringed. The caramel liquid was bitter and gross, like his soul. He knew what he was doing was dumb, stupid – yet he was going to continue doing it anyways. He could only think of what _she_ would say to him for his actions. He imagined her in his head – he imagined that little imp sitting on his shoulders, giving all the advice he needed. She had already become the voice tramping around in Link's head.

She would tell him to stop. She would tell him what he was doing was stupid. It would all be out of love and care, though. "This is for almost dying." He brought he bottle back to his lips and took a shot-size gulp. Did he feel resentment for their whole time together? Or was it just that he felt a bitter regard toward the uncertainty of the end?

She would curse at him. Plead for an ear. Beg of him to listen to her. She would want him to stop. "This is actually dying. You scared me, so much." More of the tan alcohol disappeared into his mouth.

She would beg more. She would plead. She would cry for him. She would hold him, hit him; she would do anything to get his attention. She would try to knock some sense into him. "This is for leaving." He brought the bottle to his lips, but paused. "Leaving without a way of return or visiting." Another gulp.

Crying and tears. She would try her hardest to get some sense into him. She would use all she had left in her to get him. "This is for suckering me into saving that damned land of twilight." He took a larger gulp of the half empty bottle. No matter what he would say to her, she wouldn't believe him. She knew him better than he did – she knew when he was lying before he did. "This is for becoming my best friend – my lover." He swallowed even more of the drink this time. "And then leaving." He was almost finished the first bottle, and he wasn't even halfway to the castle.

She would be speechless at that, honestly. But she would trudge on, trying her hardest to get him to think straight. She would to anything for the boy. "This is for making me feel like hell." Tears started to stream down his cheeks as he finished the last of the bottle. She would have felt hopeless by now. Despite giving her all, at this point, she probably would've given up on changing his mind.

_Link… I… See you._

The words repeated themselves in his mind. He cringed and doubled over. He hurt even more. Link dug his fingernails into the side of his arm until a crimson fluid trickled out. "Damn it." He threw the empty bottle on the ground and it shattered on impact. His head ached and heart raced; his eyes bloodshot and raw. The liquor he chugged hasn't even hit his system yet – he consumed it too quickly for it all to affect him. He fell to his knees as he buried his face in his hands, covering the mass flood of tears trailing his cheeks. The glass on the ground cut up the boy's knees as he sat there, crying.

Sick of the cold, Link stood again. He was determined to get to the castle. He began walking normally, but too quickly he began to stumble around alleyways, unable to control himself. He was tripping and bumping into everything. Shortly, Link gave up on trying to get anywhere and leaned up against a wall of a building. He sighed and popped the cork off the second bottle of liquor.

"Here goes nothing," the words escaped his mouth slurred as he brought the second bottle to his lips. He swallowed approximately a third of the bottle before allowing his lungs to breathe. He smirked and stared at the bottle. "Link, you're such a filthy coward and liar." He brought the bottle back up to his lips and swallowed another third, then returned it back to where his hands hung at his sides. "I wouldn't be here, doing this, if I hadn't met her. Hell, I wouldn't be like this if those goddesses didn't make me their damned hero. I wouldn't be this miserable – I wouldn't be the worthless coward that I've become." He laughed in a saddened way, as tears streamed down his cheeks. Link was begging to feel sick to himself, but went ahead and drank more of the liquor. "I give up," he sobbed, removing the bottle from his lips.

He felt like he had been hit by a train: everything hurt – his heart, his head, his body, his arms, his legs. He panted, trying to keep his cries hidden behind his pain. Surely, nobody wanted to be woke up by a drunk, sad man in the middle of the night. He gritted his teeth to keep his screams deep in his throat. He forced his eyelids shut so he didn't have to see the world around him become a blurry mess as the alcohol entered his blood. He allowed the tears to continue to fall.

Then the bottle returned to his lips one last time, taking a big gulp before his knees failed from underneath him and he fell to the alley ground. "Sh-shit," he cursed, slowly and slurred. His felt each part of him began to become pungent with pain. Still, despite all the liquor he had drank and how drunk he was becoming, he still couldn't forget her. If she were still here, he probably wouldn't be like this. He wouldn't feel so empty; he wouldn't feel as if a part of him was missing.

"Goddesses damn it." Link brought the bottle to his face, but before he took a drink he opened his eyes. He couldn't see straight anymore – it was all a blur. He choked before releasing another river of tears. "I'm sorry, Midna. I can't do this anymore. I'm a pitiful failure." He shoved the bottle to his lips and took another gulp. He then removed it, and threw the almost empty bottle across the alley. He bent his knees up and placed his head between them.

_Who knows if I'll wake up again? I really hope not. I've felt like hell and I don't want to anymore. This life I live is as miserable and empty as it is, I just want to be relieved of my misery. Things are starting to fade. I think I'm starting to fall asleep. Actually, I don't know. Maybe I'm dying? Who knows. _

Link's eyes slowly closed, his breathing slowed, and he reeked of alcohol and sweat. It was the middle of the night and he was passed out in the middle of an alleyway in the depths of castle town. An eerie wind blew through the streets that night. A cold chill burdened the bones of all those who knew him. The goddesses wanted them to know that their hero was on heaven's doorstep, but hell's sanctuary.

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**A/N: This chapter broke my heart to write, but I needed to get it done. I hope you like it! Reviews are would wonderful... please send me some?**


	9. Chapter 7

Eric strolled along the cobblestone roads to Telma's. He figured the boy headed there the previous night. Zelda was hiding herself in the castle – her dispute with the boy made her feel guilt that was out of proportion to the situation. He had tried to convince her otherwise, but she had only snapped at him in return. The princess had ordered him to find the boy, and bring him back to her. By which, he gladly obliged. Now, he was out late at night, when with little to no traffic amongst the streets, looking for the boy.

He made a right off the east street to an alleyway which dead-ended at Telma's. He approached the poorly lit pub and noticed its sign was flipped to 'closed'. Eric gulped, came to the door and knocked, afraid to have an angry and exhausted Telma to answer. Yet, all he heard was her voice yelling across the door to enter. He raised a brow, and pushed open the door. He entered to witness Telma frantically rummaging through her closet, gathering several coats. Eric stood wide eyed in the doorway as he watched her.

"Telma, what are you doing?" He questioned the woman. She only shot her head up at the man and pointed to a small stack of papers on the bar counter. One was the morning's inventory, the second the evening's, the third was a scribbled note in messy writing. Eric looked at Telma inquisitively, picking up the inventory papers. "Must've been busy today – looks like you went through four bottles of liquor," he noted, a light taint of humor in his tone.

Telma's eyes were stolid and expressionless; her face turned as blank as empty paper. "I only poured out two. The other two…" Her voice trailed off into nothing. She quickly returned to pulling out coats and blankets and scarves and gloves. She made three piles of them: one he assumed was for Telma herself; the other two remained a mystery to him.

Eric squinted his eyes as he placed the inventory sheets back on the counter, and picking up the last note. In shaky writing, the words _I'm sorry_ were written, contrasting with the paper of faded color. The red head's face turned white. He was speechless; he hadn't realized the boy stooped so low. He would have never thought of this – he knew the boy had problems, but not this. Eric's hands shook out of fear, worry and shock. He placed the note back on the shelf. "So he _stole_ two bottles of liquor?"

Telma shook her head, pulling out a purple rupee from her pocket. "No, he left this in return. But, I fear he has much more of a problem than underage drinking." The woman's eyebrows scrunched as she hurriedly pulled on her coat. She picked up the other two piles of coats, and handed them to Eric. "One's for you, one's for Link. We're going searching for him." Eric stared at the second outfit, puzzled. Telma sighed. "I'd assume you'd find him first. You're younger and can get around a lot faster than I can." She smirked. "That's if you don't smoke."

Eric grumbled in disgust, but put on the outfit Telma prepared for him, and took the one for Link under his arm. Telma blew out the candles and went to the door. She held it open for Eric as he carried the coats for Link through the door. The two then headed up the alleyway and onto the main streets. Telma scanned both ways of the streets. "You go west. There are more alleyways there he could be hiding in. And it's the quickest way to the castle – he may have been going there, but who knows. I'll go east and see what I can find."

Eric nodded and departed west, now carrying the extra coats over his shoulder. Despite Telma's mockery, he continued to pull a cigar from his pocket and light it in his mouth. He shivered as an ominous wind blew at him from behind. Although he was adequately layered for the cold, the odd wind chilled him to the bone. It made his teeth clatter and his body fidget and shiver. He frowned, and tugged on his coat, like doing so would give him additional heat. The wind was odd, though. It was like the cold was _trying_ to tell him something. It typically wasn't even this cold yet during this time of year. The only place where it would already be cold was up north in Snowpeak. But, Hyrule was much farther south than the cold mountains.

Just then, a quick and shadowy frame flung itself through his vision up above, cutting his train of thought. Shrouded in darkness, he couldn't determine the person's gender or identity. Eric halted in his tracks and stared skyward at the moon – it was bright enough to illuminate the alleyways. Again, the anonymous figure hovered across the moon for a split second – whoever it was, was jumping form rooftop to rooftop. The figure stood on the ledge of building and glared down at Eric.

Eric grumbled and yelled up at the shady figure. "Hey! Who are you?" He watched the sly person chuckle, and then completely vanish into thin air. Quickly, his heart rate rose as he felt a light tap on his shoulder. The person covered Eric's mouth with their hands, and spoke in his ear with their cheek brushing up against him.

"It is not need be known who I am," the voice spoke. Eric determined it was female. "Or my purposes. But I will help you." The hooded woman turned and faced Eric head on. "I am an acquaintance of Zelda's. I've been helping her these past few weeks with this boy you call a hero." Eric sneered at the woman for her crude comment towards Link. "And it appears the ways you two want to help the boy are in sync with one another." Eric grew baffled by her statement.

The woman turned to leave, but Eric reached forward in attempt to grab her and only brushed her hood, knocking it off her head. Her tan skin and platinum tendril of hair were revealed and she turned her face to Eric. Her stare was icy at the red head. The man gulped as she spoke. "You're looking for the hero?" She spoke softly. "Follow the winds. The goddesses sent them for a reason." And with that she vanished without further explanation.

Eric stood in a horrified haze, in the middle of an alley, a cigar still lit in his mouth and a chilling wind coming up on him from the north. Despite the grave situation at hand, Eric smiled. He looked up at the glowing moon and whispered, "Thank you, messenger of the goddesses." And with that, Impa smiled.

Eric took a sigh and continued to scan the alleyways for the boy. He kept in mind the direction of the wind, though. And by the time the back of his head had grown numb, the wind had changed its direction and slapped him across the face with a bitter chill. He turned to the alley the wind conducted him to. Eric noted the sly woman atop a roof further down the alley. She nodded to Eric, looked down at the street directly below her, and left.

Eric's eyes followed to where the woman's had gone. He saw a small pile of a body. Eric froze for a split second, and then burst out running towards the slump. He hoped and prayed he wouldn't meet with a familiar face. But, his hopes were crushed far too prematurely. The boy's emaciated frame was illuminated in the moonlight: his eyes closed, lips parted, and chest shallowly lifting up and down.

He grabbed the boy's shoulders and held him upright – Link's head hung limp. Eric's face was wide with fear: his slightly shook the boy. "Link – Link! Wake up!" His voice was frantic and wavering. The blonde boy was out like a rock. The rancid odor of alcohol reeked the alley. Eric only scrutinized the boy's bloody knees, pungent breath, vomit stained lips, bony frame: he only made himself sick thinking of it all. "Goddesses damn it!" He yelled, pained by voice.

The previously hooded woman silently reappeared behind Eric in a smooth jump from a building above. Her arms were folded and voice was stern. "Do you know how much he's had?" Her eyes burned right through Eric as he remained motionless. Regretfully, he shook his head. The woman scoffed, "Almost two full bottles." Eric's eyes shot open, wider than they ever had been.

Quickly, Eric bundled Link in the extra coats he was given. "How long does that much take to kill?"

The servant of the goddesses cocked her head. "Not long. He's half dead already. Thus is why you found him now." She wrapped her tendril of platinum hair around her finger as she spoke to the guard.

Eric picked up the smaller boy in his arms and faced the anonymous woman. "So if I don't go now and get him help, he will die before Zelda knows." He paused and bit his lip. "Please, go inform Zelda of the incident. Tell her to report to the doctor. We'll be waiting for her." And with so, he dipped his head to the woman, and began running to the other side of town – where the doctor was. Eric cradled the boy close to his chest as he ran. The mysterious woman only smirked at the red head, before returning to a neutral expression and launching herself away from the scene.

His lungs cringed – begged for air. Despite the pain building up in his chest, he was obstinate on saving Link's life. He felt guilty for letting the boy fall so low. If he had only noticed his behavior; watched more closely – noting the shallow changes. If only he had been concerned with the boy's thinning build: the bones jutting out at his hips and the outlines of his cheeks becoming definite. If he had pointed out the sullen and glum sea in his eyes – if only he had saved the boy before his life was on the line.

The blonde fidgeted in Eric's arms as the red head saw Telma at the other end of the road – by the doctor's: his heart raced. "Telma!" He shouted after her, coughing. The plump woman turned her head and saw him at the end of the street. "Get the doctor ready!" He practically wheezed. Telma saw the pile of a boy in the man's arms, she immediately ran into the office. Eric sprinted the rest of the way, clutching the boy to his chest even tighter.

* * *

Zelda sat at her desk, writing letters – letters to Rusl, to Ilia, to Renado – to inform them of the situation of their friend's time of depression. But, she received a knock at her window. Zelda paused her pen, and turned to the window, seeing a familiar face looking in. The woman at the window smirked and waved at the princess, who only nodded in return – giving an inkling that she was permitted to be in. The tan woman stepped in through the window and stood behind Zelda. The princess sighed, "Well hello there, Impa. Seems you're out fairly late – and it's fairly late for you to be visiting."

Impa smirked, shaking her head. "I only come for important business. But to contradict your statement, isn't it late for you to still be up? Writing letters?" She chuckled to herself.

Zelda grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Insomnia." The princess turned in her chair to face Impa, and she was met with a perked brow and a raised lip – she sighed, turning her eyes to the floor and spinning back to her desk. "I'm worried about him, Impa." She bit her lip. "I know he's the goddesses' chosen, but still. I feel terrible after yelling at him yesterday, kicking him out. I should have been more understanding. I was just an asshole."

The tan woman shrugged her shoulders and looked away from Zelda, her face becoming sullen and grave. "Anyway, back to why I came. You might want to go into town," she took a breath. "According to Eric." Out of the corner of her eye, Impa watched Zelda's face freeze and become struck with worry. "To the doctor's." The designated queen shot up from her desk and ran to her closet. Impa sighed. "Eric found him. He told me to get you." The woman turned her head back in the direction of Zelda, but the princess was already shoving her arms in a coat – already changed from her night gown to clothing of proper attire.

She then began to exit the castle, ignoring Impa. The woman groaned, "I'm coming with you." Impa's cold words halted Zelda. The princess turned to her, and the woman sighed. "I know you, of all people, would not be able to handle seeing him in the current state he's in." She heard Zelda's barely audible gasp – a squeak from a chipmunk.

Zelda sighed, continuing to head to the castle doors with Impa behind her. The princess glanced over her shoulder. "Would you prefer to go by foot or by horse?" But before she received an answer, Impa walked right past Zelda, out the castle doors and to the streets. Zelda held her breath as her face turned bright red. She just followed Impa out the doors, without even restating her question.

The two women exited the castle yard and walked down the streets. The wind blew in the direction they were heading – blowing Zelda's hair into her face. Irritated, she tied the mass of her hair into a low ponytail. All her hazel hair below the ponytail became a knotted and curled mess. The same went with the strands of hair she allowed to hang by the sides of her face. She looked like a face that was familiar to Link – a face that was way too familiar; a face he had seen just the other day. Impa noticed the slight change in Zelda's appearance, but didn't make a big deal of it.

Zelda stopped walking once she stood outside the door to the doctor's. She looked up at Impa, her eyes watery and teeth clenched. "I'm scared." Impa cocked her head at the princess, placed her hand on the woman's shoulder and smiled. Zelda raised a brow at Impa.

"I think he'll be fine," the tan woman whispered. "Despite that he looks like Ganon got to him, he _will_ be fine. The goddesses can guarantee it." Impa gleamed at Zelda, who was still uneasy with the situation.

Zelda sniffled, wiped her face and brushed off Impa's hand. She inhaled through her nose and exhaled deeply from her mouth. Patting down her dress and knocking off any loose dirt, Zelda dried her eyes and looked firmly at Impa. "Okay," a pause in her wavering voice. "I think I'm ready." She smiled and turned her head to Impa. "I will try not to cry – I don't want to scare the boy. Please remove me from the room if I-"

"He won't even notice," the woman muttered gravely.

"W-what do you mean?" The princess' voice cracked with her emotion.

The tan woman gulped, and began to wrap her hair around her finger. "Eric found him unconscious in an alley. Vomit stained lips and a pungent odor of alcohol that no wind could expel." She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, knowing Zelda's face looked like a scared child's. "Two bottles of liquor, almost completely downed." She took a deep breath in, her voice shaking. "He's almost dead, Zelda."

Zelda almost choked on her own breath. She brought her hands up to her face, covering her gaping mouth and flooding cheeks. Her knees trembled beneath her, but still remained strong. She felt her stomach churn and rumble with guilt – her lost sense of infamy returning. She felt the guilt back when she sent her soldiers to war, despite that most of them were unprepared and inexperienced. Zelda had thought that those dreadful feelings left her many moons ago – but lamentably were returning with the downfall of Link.

The nearing queen shook. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Her eyes were cold and empty; hurt – stabbed like an innocent victim. She glared at Impa, frustrated yet broken beyond repair. "Why?"

Impa shook her head. "I was going to inform you earlier." She bit her lip. "But you took off and left the castle before I could go into specific details." The stared at the ground – both women did; they stood in silence. Then the tan woman took initiative and reached her hands around Zelda, hugging her tightly. She stood and cradled the hazel's face in her shoulder, but Zelda was only taken by shock. Impa sighed. "All and all has happened, and it will pass. And the boy will be fine. He just needs the help from all of us: You, Telma, Eric, Seth, and his mother."

"Seth, who is that? And his mother… the last I knew she died when he was four, and his father left his mother when she birthed to Link. How could she help?" Zelda questioned, puzzled.

Impa shook her head. "Seth is as close to Link as his own mother is." She took a pause. "But, the dead can do great things for somebody at heaven's doorstep." And with those words, Zelda pushed herself away from the woman.

"We are going in," the princess stated, drying her eyes. "And we are going to help save the boy." The determination in Zelda's voice only articulated her desire to return the favor – pay indemnity for all the wrongs she caused. She wanted to even the scales out. The tan woman nodded in return, obviously proud of Zelda overcoming her fear of failing the boy.

The two women then walked up to the door, and opened it wide. They were greeted by the old man Borville, who sneered at the androgynous figure next to Zelda, Telma, a frantic and winded Eric, a cold chill in the air, and a sickly Link who was almost bereft of his life. The room was full and cold – physically and in the atmosphere of feelings. They were all worried that the next morning, they would be in mourning.

Borville stared up at the princess; his oversized glasses making his eyes appear to be giant globes of green stuck on his face. "Your dumb hero drank a lot, your majesty." He scoffed, ranted about the boy. "I pumped his stomach, got a lot of the liquor out. His body practically shut down after much of the liquor got into him. What I got out just sat in his stomach." The old man shrugged, turning away from Zelda. "He'll live." The ears of everybody in the room perked up – the lifeline of hope was thrown into the sea of despair, for everybody to grab and be pulled to rejoice. "But," the doctor paused. The air suddenly dropped a degree as the contradictory word halted all form of mental revel. "His liver is shot. He'll take a while to recover, too. The boy's too skinny, severely underweight – he needs to eat or he _will_ die."

Eric bit his lip and frowned – _he _had noticed the boy's bones jutting out from him. He could have done something, he felt. Telma wanted to vomit: she felt that because she didn't punish the boy the first time he took some of her drinks encouraged his plan for death by alcohol. Zelda felt lightheaded: everything she was taking in felt like an incubus was beating at her heart – breathing and shattering it. She noticed his thinning – but she didn't want to believe it, she only wanted to think of it as he was losing all the strength that he had previously. She noticed the downfall of his behavior – she watched him before she left, the night she left, and many of the days up until this point. She only wished she could have noticed the pattern.

The old man checked the boy's heart rate once again while the group of worried family stood there. He nodded to himself, jotting down mental notes. The wrapped his stethoscope around his neck and turned to the group. "Do any of you know why he did this?" He stuck his hands in his pockets and frowned at the members.

Eric whispered, his faced whiter than a full moon. "Suicide and Midna." He bit his lips and buried his face in his hands, his eyes welling up with tears. "He loved her and she left and he cannot see her furthermore and…" Eric's voice trailed off. Telma hung her head, as well as Zelda. Impa's only eyes met with the ground. Eric's voice returned. "He was only seventeen and went to hell and back – he's not stable." Eric was now motionless and white – he was as scared as Zelda was.

Borville nodded and sighed and turned his head to the floor. "When I release him, and he is recovering" – the doctor shot up and looked at each person in the eye – "you must keep an eye on him at all times. You cannot risk this again." The old man was serious in all manners; while all of Link's family stared at him dying in a bed, and they couldn't help but feel sick to their stomachs for letting him fall so low. They all managed to nod to the doctor's orders, though.

After many minutes of sitting in dreaded silence, the dearth of sound digging inside each and every one of them like acid burning through rock, Zelda turned to Impa. The princess stared at the floor, her voice resonating in the solemn atmosphere of the room. "May I ask a favor of you?" The tan woman parted her lips, but nodded. Zelda looked up at her. "I need you to head to the mirror chamber. Tell my soldiers they need to hurry their work – get it done as soon as possible." Impa sighed into a small smile and nodded.

"Will do, your grace," the woman nodded, bowing to Zelda, before leaving. When she left, the room felt only degrees colder. The remaining shuddered; Eric folded his arms, Telma shivered – Zelda walked over to Link and laid another blanket on top of him.

Eric then turned to Zelda. "When you spoke to her," he asked. "Did you mean the same instance as what you told me, when we brought Link to the castle?" The red head looked at Zelda with curious eyes – urging for answers.

Zelda looked at the guard from the corner of her eye, her face remained stolid – lacking of emotion. She looked very apathetic for the situation at hand. "Yes, Eric." The red head's face lightened slightly with the confirmed words that flew from Zelda's mouth.

"That should help him," the red head stated. His face wasn't as shallow as it had been.

Zelda only nodded. "Yes." She closed her eyes and rolled her head to face the ceiling. "It will certainly help him." Her plan would be a success – she would save the boy from his mental misery.

* * *

**A/N: Yes! He will live! I felt so mean doing that to poor Link, but now the treacherous journey uphill begins! Sorry if this chapter seems dull, I tried to make it as emotional as I could. Nevertheless, R&R?**


	10. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for such the short chapter D: School has been hectic and I have a lot on my shoulders right now. I wish you all the best, and I hope you enjoy this chapter (although it may seem like a lull). Once I get my life back in order things will come more smoothly! As always, R&R? Enjoy!**

* * *

Eric groaned, being awoken by a pounding at his door. He yawned and stretched his arms, flattened the strands of unwashed hair that stuck up and out of place. He pushed himself to his feet and dragged his feet to his front door. Groggily, he pulled the door open and was surprised with an obviously sleep deprived Zelda; her eyes carried big swollen bags under them. Despite looking so run-down, she had a vociferous grin plastered on her face. She seemed jumpy, too – she kept bouncing up and down lightly on the balls of her feet. Eric only stood there and rubbed his eye, still half-asleep and unable to comprehend her gesticulations.

"Guess who woke up?" She asked, a taint of innocence lingering in her voice. Eric stopped opening his mouth to speak and straightened his posture, perking his ears up a little bit more than usual. He widened his eyes, finally waking up and paying attention to the situation.

"How is he?" The red head asked suddenly. He leaned forward close to Zelda, to hear every pinpoint detail. Eric, too, developed a slight smile on his lips.

The princess tilted her head and squinted her eyes in a cheerful context. "He's really out of it. Has a migraine, which I would have presumed would happen." She looked up, like there was anything to actually look at. She was just trying to remember the boy's symptoms. She poked her chin with her index finger. "I think besides that, he just cannot eat much. Doctor Borville confirmed his liver is severely damaged from that night: he doesn't have a fatty liver, like a long term alcoholic would. It's just the massive amount of liquor he drank that night shot it. Borville says it'll heal, though. It's just going to take some time."

Eric sighed and rubbed the nape of his neck. "Ah, well… well at least it's not _too_ bad. At least he'll heal, and at least he's still alive." He was trying to stay optimistic in the actual depressing situation.

Zelda nodded to his response. "That's true!" She turned away from Eric, looking back and gesturing his arm for him to follow. "Would you like to visit? Borville says I can bring you and Telma to visit."

In that moment, Eric's face lit up drastically – his eyes widening and his smile growing. "Of course! Just hold on a moment and let me grab my coat." Zelda nodded and Eric scurried around his house, pulling a winter coat from his closet. The red head shoved his arms in the sleeves and ran out his door, closing and locking it behind him. He chivalrously took the arm of Zelda and began to stride down the street with her.

The autumn breeze kept knocking the woman's chestnut hair in her face. Frustrated, Zelda pulled her arm from Eric's and paused her walking – Eric did the same. The princess tied the main mass of her hair in a low ponytail. She left the strands that hung by her face where they were. Satisfied with her modification – she returned her arm into Eric's and carried on down the street.

As the wind continued to blow, Zelda's ponytail became kinky and curled – it was a frizzy mess. And the tips of the strands by her cheeks also slightly curled. The woman sighed, realizing there was no way she could control her hair. Eric took quick glances at the woman, recognizing somebody he was told of, but he couldn't recall the name of the person, or who told him. The man only shrugged it off as the two reached the doctor's. Eric stepped away from Zelda and opened the door for her, allowing her in first. The woman nodded to the man and walked right through, the red head following her in.

Link was sitting up in bed, a small plate with an array of fruits, including small pile of grapes and peach slices. He boy looked down at them, picking at them with his fingers, leaving them untouched and uneaten. The blonde boy didn't look up at Eric and Zelda – he didn't even notice that they came in. He just poked and prodded at the food on his plate. Borville made a diet for the boy, for when he woke up, that was easy enough for him to handle while his liver was healing; it consisted of simple sugars – no proteins, starches, complex carbohydrates.

Since the liquor-suicide incident, Link had been in a temporary coma for two and a half weeks. Telma, Eric, and Zelda each took turns in watching the boy, waiting for him to awaken. Renado, Rusl, and Ilia had come by and left small flowers and gifts. Now that the boy was awake, though, he didn't pay attention to a single thing left for him. He just looked miserable.

Eric sighed, taking off his coat. He walked over to the boy's bed and placed a hand on his shoulder. Link jumped, sending his small plate to the floor. The boy cursed before turning up to Eric. Eric just slightly grinned down at him. "How are you doing?" He asked, barely moving his lips.

The boy sneered up at the red head, giving an unwelcome frown. He crossed his bony arms across his chest. "Just _fine._ I'm alright. I don't need any of _your_ help." Link quickly shot his head the opposite direction of Eric.

Eric was taken back; his expression paused as Link's words stung like salt in a wound. Pulling his hand away from the emaciated boy's shoulder, his grin turned to a lost frown. His voice grew deep and stern as his words began to speak for themselves. "I'm disappointed _in you_." He took a pause, emphasizing his pain, causing the boy to look back at him; a baffled parting of his lips was plastered on the blonde's face. Eric turned his head down at Link, starting him directly in the eye. "I _saved you_. You should be grateful you are still alive. If I hadn't found you in that alley, you wouldn't be lying here, nor would I be here, speaking with you. We would have attended your funeral already and buried you back in Ordon."

Link only rolled his eyes, turning his head away from Eric. "Well, I didn't want to be saved. Thanks for making my life ten times more miserable."

The red head sighed, and stepped away from the boy's bed. Zelda, who was partly livid, took her place at the front of the boy's bed. Link was taken back; her presence was unknown to him before. The boy's face immediately flooded an embarrassed red – a guilty red. Zelda looked down upon him, her arms on her hips and her face as solid as a rock. The boy in front of her swelled up with tears and his lips trembled.

"What the fucking hell," the words left his lips quickly and shook the air. He curled himself in a tight ball under the sheets, a horrified expression on his face. Zelda cocked her head and squinted her eyes. The boy pulled himself away from the princess when she took a step closer to him. "G-get away from me!" Link's eyes widened and he pulled himself tighter.

"Link, what are you doing?" She reached her down on the sheets and the boy pulled back even more. Zelda scrunched her brows, reaching her hand over to brush his arm. Link only frantically swatted her away. The woman slowly pulled her hand away from the shaking boy. His face was tight and strained – something had scared him. She had seen him scared only once or twice, this was definitely far more than a little fear. He was _panicking_.

Eric laid his hand on Zelda's shoulder, an intimation to leave Link alone. She did exactly so. Sighing, she stood herself from his bedside and stood adjacent to the red head. She turned her face to his ear. "Watch him; I'll be busy for a few hours." The man nodded to her orders.

The princess then began to head past Eric, turning her head one last time to take a glimpse of Link: he was still curled up tightly, shaking and staring at the ground. Zelda sighed, and reached her hand to open the door. But she found it was opened the second she placed her hand on the doorknob. Zelda took a breath, shocked. The visitor was a friendly face, though. He was as close to Link as a father: Rusl had finally come. To Zelda's surprise, though, the older man was taken back, stepping away from her.

Almost immediately, the man knelt in front of her, taking his hat from his head and bowing. "My dearest, Princess Zelda," Rusl spoke softly. The man noticed the shaking of the woman's head, and quickly stood, returning his hat to his head. He brushed the dust from his knees. "Sorry, your majesty." He paused and look at Zelda in the eyes, and then he looked around at her from almost every standing angle. "Sorry, you just look like somebody familiar. Anyways I ca-"

"Who?" Zelda cut the man off. "Who do I look like?" She gestured her hand to the boy in the bed. "Whoever I look like scared the living daylights out of the boy. Who_ever_ I look like panicked him." The princess' stern expression dropped, however, when Rusl's face turned white as stone.

"Oh my goddesses," the man mumbled. His head turned to the floor and he brought his hand to his mouth. Zelda scrunched her brows at him, curious, yet scared at the same time. Rusl then shook his head. "No wonder he panicked." His gaze returned to meet with Zelda's. "Do you know how his mother looks like?" The princess shook her head, she was confused with the question. Rusl smirked and Zelda closed the door to the office, leaving the two outside to discuss. "She has the same hair color as you, and the shape of her face. About the same height, too." He took a pause. "And with your hair all frizzy like that, and in the ponytail that it's in, you look just like his mother." Rusl then folded his arms around his chest. "You look just like his mother, and with his sickly head, he probably confused you for her."

Zelda cocked her head and raised a brow. "But if he thought of me as his mother, why did he panic? Wouldn't he have been overjoyed to see her?" She folded her arms and shivered, regretting leaving her cloak inside.

Rusl took a sigh, and his small grin vanished. "Zelda, Link's mother _died_ many, many years ago." He placed his hand on the princess' shoulder when her jaw dropped. "His father left Ordon when the woman told him of her pregnancy. As a village, we helped support her. When he was born, we all helped raise him. He still didn't know he was a little fatherless bastard. He didn't know he had a father at one point. His mother became the town's medical expert, she felt that she had to return all the good deeds we did her and her son. And at the time, Link had befriended my eldest, Seth. But it was only a few moons after Seth turned four when he fell ill. Fatally ill. He had died in the care of Link's mother. Sad part was, she contracted the same illness. Died only a few weeks later. The poor boy was traumatized – lost his friend _and _mother in a matter of a moon." Rusl took a sigh, facing the cobblestone ground, now. He took his hand from Zelda's shoulder. "I took the boy in. Gave him the keys to his mother's house when he turned fifteen. Over those many years, I had to learn not to mention his mother _or_ Seth. They cause him too much trouble."

Zelda covered her gaping mouth with her hands. She had never known all the trauma the boy went through. She now understood what Impa had meant when she said Seth's name that one tragic night. She understood it now. Zelda then took her hands from her mouth and pulled all her hair back, removing the pony tail. She braided the brown hair down until it reached the small of her spine. Avoiding being mixed up with Link's mother would surely help the boy.

Rusl nodded in approval, and he reopened the door, and walked himself in. Zelda stood alone in the cold, and she began to walk down the streets. Her steps held a new will – a new meaning. Each stride on the street was forcefully put down with new determination, new reason to fight – new reason to save the boy. Zelda knew she needed to talk with Impa immediately – it needed to be done.

Eric jumped when the older man, known as Rusl, entered the room. The red head grinned and waved, and the older man returned it. But the blonde man walked over to the boy huddle in the bed. He knelt beside him and wrapped an arm around Link's shoulder. He held the boy tightly and whispered small phrases in his ears. Eric only watched as the boy's face relaxed and he unwound his tight position. It was a reassuring sight.

"Tell Zelda that I'm sorry," Link mumbled as Rusl stood from his side. The boy's face was hot and he couldn't look Eric in the eye. Rusl patted the boy's back, but his lip quivered and he only looked away from the men around him.

Eric sighed and picked up some of the fallen fruit on the floor. He rubbed an apple against his own shirt, then held it in front of Link's face. The boy widened his eyes and parted his lips, looking up at Eric with a baffled gaze. The red head's expression prevailed stolid and firm. "You need to eat."

Link opened his mouth as to protest, but gave a heated sigh and took the red fruit in his palm. He took a bit of it and cringed, but chewed and swallowed. Eric and Rusl remained in their spots, to confirm that he ate at least _something_. The red head then passed over a small glass of water. Link looked up at him, his brows furrowed and his lips peaked in annoyance. He grumbled but chugged the water in seconds, slamming the glass on his little nightstand.

"That's better." Eric gleamed down at the young man. The blonde's arms were crossed and he glared up at Eric, not even making notice of Rusl in the room. The man had taught the boy better manners when he was a child – he was practically the father figure of his life. Unknown to Link, Rusl stood beside him with an unhappy frown plastered on his lips.

"I didn't need to eat, Eric," the smaller grumbled. His voice faltered slightly, but only Eric had noticed. "I'm just _fine_. Didn't I tell you?" The skinny boy stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. His attitude was returning to the stubborn know-it-all again.

But then Rusl tapped the boy's shoulder, and the blonde boy jumped. "Link," the man shook his head and dropped his voice to a serious tone. "He and I, we're only here to help. You need to respect that better. But, you really need to respect yourself." Link whipped his head around and faced Rusl, who was sternly looking down at the boy. He grabbed the boy's arm and poked at the bones jutting out. "You're just skin and bone – you look like you're dying." The man had tears forming in his eyes. "You _need_ to take care of yourself."

Link stared up at him with bitterness. "I am _fine_." His voiced echoed deeply. His lips were pursed into a tight frown. He waved his arms around in the air, acting as if he were offended. "How many times must I tell you?"

Eric then stepped forward, his teeth grit and visible, and eyes livid with the quintessence of vexation. His height towered over Link with upmost superiority, at this point in the boy's life he was ruled over by the posse of adults who committed themselves to his recovery. "You, my sir, are _not_ fine." The red head huffed, crossing his arms and stamping a foot. "And since we all know you are unstable, you will be staying in the castle, with Zelda and I. Both she and I, along with Telma, Impa, and Rusl, will _all_ be taking part in this expedition, also known as your recovery."

The blonde boy fumbled with the sheets that came up to his waist; he was speechless, without words to say to Eric, and did not want to meet him in the eye. The stare that burned into his skin forced him otherwise. "Fine," the mangled word fell from his lips as cold as ice.

Eric smirked, although he wasn't at all nearing satisfaction. He patted Link's head and ruffled his hear. "That's what I'd like to hear." The younger only groaned and rolled his head, and dropped his head down on his pillow.

* * *

Zelda entered her office to be met with the androgynous figure known to her as Impa. She nodded her head in recognition, and proceeded to stride to her mirror, removing the ponytails from her frizz filled hair. Impa watched each and every movement of the princess before daring to open her mouth. "It is almost complete." The words nagged Zelda by the ears, forcing all of her attention to go toward the tan woman. "We are only missing two shards, from the center."

The princess nodded her head. "I have them." She turned to face the woman, all senses of worry had faded away over the past few hours, but frustration and sorrow replaced them. Zelda turned to the floor, and then back up toward Impa. "How long can my crew guard the mirror – until Link is fit to activate it?"

Impa smirked and crossed her arms. "I am sure we can do as long as he will need." She stared out the window at the setting sun. The stars that began to align themselves in the sky formed a circular shape, as if to resemble the mirror. "If I mention his title, of course they would oblige." Zelda nodded to the woman, but Impa read through the mask of nonchalance, and questioned her feelings. "What is wrong, my grace?"

The princess sighed, sitting herself on the edge of her desk's chair. "Link." She faced the floor. "He woke up today. He's delirious, unable to really function. He doesn't want to believe a word anybody says." Tears formed along the princess' eyes, returning her resentful gaze to Impa. "He mistook me for his mother, who is long past. I think I gave him a panic attack." She sighed, rubbing her eyes dry. "I didn't mean to scare him at all."

Impa shrugged her shoulders, and rested a hand on Zelda's shoulder. "Maybe if you treated him like you were his mother, it would aid him more rather than seeming like the babysitter." And then Zelda gasped with realization – Impa was right.


	11. Chapter 9

A matted length of dirty blonde hair was held tightly in Eric's hand, as the shorter doubled over and emptied the contents of his stomach. Link coughed and sputtered as he returned to his height, a flighty glaze covering his eyes, and fell back on the taller. The red head supported the boy as his energy was wasted, and dragged him back to the bed. Link was not in enough of stable condition to follow through with Zelda's plans. Eric had become the boy's aid, he watched him rise and fall. He noted the slight weight gain, and the return to a twig; he noted the day's Link could eat, the others were he lost it; the days were the boy could stand and walk, and the days where he could barely move. His recovery was slow, but he was getting better, slightly.

Eric sighed, confirming Link was safe while sprawled across the bed, and went to dump the newly filled vomit bucket. He sneered as he lifted the rancid tub, but his eyes widened when he remarked something offbeat: there was blood. Shaking, Eric returned the bucket to the ground and directed his head towards Link – he was asleep. Cursing, he stomped his foot on the floor, and hurried himself out of the boy's room. He ran down the halls, sprinted up the stairs, but was halted in front of Zelda's door.

The guard stuck his thin blade out at Eric, standing between him and the door. "You cannot pass." The man mumbled, his jaw tight and words acrid towards Eric. Placing his weak sword back in its scabbard, the man reopened his mouth. "All you're going to say is something along the lines of 'It's about Link!', but I do not care. Everything you say to her anymore is about that weak brat." The man scoffed and grunted, awkwardly grinding the ball of his foot against the floor. "Zelda needs to focus on the success of Hyrule, not that unstable freak. We need to regain our economy, and the princess has to choose her suitor, to claim her title as queen and to create an alliance with a neighboring nation."

The man paused and glared Eric straight in the eye. "That boy doesn't matter right now – he is only a spec in a pile of dust. There are more important matters than him."

Eric scowled, a livid flame growing in his chest, and took a step forward. "No." The guard was taken back and raised a brow. "He _is_ important." Raising a finger, Eric jabbed it at the chest of the guard. "I used to be a pitiful guard like you. Instead of being such a grump, though, I gained the trust of the princess herself. She _trusted_ me with the care of Link, who she highly cares about. She specifically told me to get her if anything goes wrong." Taking a breath, he pulled himself away from the guard – his face inched closer and closer as he had spoken.

"And something has gone terribly wrong. I must tell her immediately." He stood taller and reached his fists toward the ground, perfecting his posture. Eric towered over the cowering guard. "I suggest you change your unsympathetic ways and let me through. I used to hold the same position as you, but attitude makes all the difference." And with his final words he strutted right by the guard and into Zelda's chamber.

He entered to find the princess pacing the floor, her hair tied up like it was the day she had scared Link. Another woman was in the room, her skin was dark and her hair was platinum. She looked all too familiar to Eric. He knew her, from somewhere, but he didn't know where. Zelda continued to pace and rant as the other listened – neither of them had noticed Eric enter.

"Three noble princes had proposed marriage, and all three of their homelands are quite economically stable. But they would each have to travel vast distances to reach Hyrule. I don't want to risk their lives, but I _need_ to be crowned queen to be able to rule my country properly." Zelda grabbed the sides of her head and pushed on her temples – a little habit Eric had picked up on, she did it either when she was stressed or had a migraine. "Impa, I do not know what to do. I have to continue to aid Hyrule, but on the other hand, we have Link!"

"He hasn't recovered much, as I hear." Her paces picked up speed, as well as her speech. "He is still quite sickly. It has been four months of waiting – waiting for him to recover. When he recovers we can take him to the mirror and make his life better again and… and…" Zelda stopped in her tracks, her voiced faded to nothing. Gradually, she lifted her head and faced Impa with sullen eyes. "I just want him to be happy and alive. We owe him that, at the least, for all he did." Then she turned to the door, to make eyes with Eric.

Zelda's face blushed and eyes widened and lips parted. "Eric."

The red head nodded to the princess, taking a slight bow. Facing Impa, his voice was monotone. "You're the woman who helped me find Link, correct?" She nodded. Eric sighed of relief, but his voice returned to his grave tone as Zelda took steps forward toward him. "It's Link." He watched the princess' eyes turn stone cold. "He got worse." Her lips quivered and began to creep down. "There was blood in his vomit." She stopped moving altogether, and Impa appeared behind her, placing a hand on the princess' shoulder.

Eric had never seen Zelda's eyes so wide, even of all the years he worked alongside her. The olive green globes that floated in the whites of her eye were almost invisible underneath blackness. Words were gibberish flowing from her lips, but few were made out. "Get Borville…. Now."

The red head took a deep breath and nodded, turning on his heel and quickly exiting her office. He ran through the castle – he knew the halls and the infrastructure of the castle in his sleep. In only minutes he was outside the castle walls, and nearing the stables. Eric fastened up Epona, and hoped for the best when he placed himself on her back – luckily, she accepted him. The duo took off cantering down the castle streets. Eric assumed the friendly beast below him sense the grave feelings in the atmosphere, the feelings for her master.

Pulling the mare to a quick halt, Eric dismounted to his left and didn't bother to tie Epona down before running into Borville's office. There were several patients. Cursing, Eric balled his hand into a fist. Borville emerged from behind a curtain to greet what he thought was an ordinary customer, but then his face dropped.

"Eric," the older man whispered. "What are you doing here?"

The red head heaved to catch his breath, his face still a pungent red. He took a step forward before opening his mouth to speak. "It's Link. Blood came up."

Borville's eyes widened, his jaw falling open. He gestured Eric out the door, but showed that he would quickly follow. The older man faced the two remaining patients and explained the urgency of the situation, compared to their colds. Luckily, they didn't argue with the man, allowing him to hurry along with Eric. And despite having both of them on her back, Epona showed no struggled in racing them back to the castle.

In the nick of time, too: Link was waking up as the old man and Eric entered his room. The blonde boy grabbed his head and stared at the doctor, his head cocked, as the man began a thorough examination. Borville's face cringed slightly when he placed the cold stethoscope on the boy's chest – something was wrong. Then there was a knock at the door: Zelda and Impa.

Borville slightly jumped when Zelda rushed passed him to Link, who was buried under blankets and sheets. His eyes fluttered to stay open as time had gone on. Eric grabbed the princess' attention by a slight tap on her shoulder. Turning her head slightly, she then twisted herself completely around to face all three: Impa, Borville and Eric.

Borville sighed, but stepped forward. "You _need_ to take him to the mirror."

Zelda gasped, and scrunched her brows at the short man. "How do you know of that?"

The older man rolled his eyes and nudged over at Eric and Impa, who were sheepishly staring at the floor. "Told me you were going to take him there after he was well again, to regain his spirits. Am I correct?" Zelda nodded. "Well you need to take him there _now_, or he may never get better."

Zelda raised a brow, and opened her mouth to reveal an inquisitive tone. "Why?" She paused. "I don't want to take him while he's ill, just in case something goes wrong in the Twilight Realm."

Borville shoved his face in his hands and grumbled, "He isn't going to get any better unless his mood is better than it is! If he continues to feel as hopeless as he is, he's just going to rot away in this bed and die."

Zelda couldn't speak. The words were caught in her throat as she stared down at the man. His face was stern but his eyes were flooded with all the concern. Borville truly cared for the wellbeing of Link, and he knew what exactly they would have to do to save the boy. He wouldn't be of any use if Zelda was too afraid to do what he said, though. Eric trusted the old man, so did Impa. Zelda should, too.

The old man turned to leave, facing Eric one last time. "Make sure he is taken to the mirror in the next few days, or else he may die." Eric gulped and nodded.

The princess still stood speechless as Borville left. She stared at Link. She traced the outline of his cheeks to his collarbones, visible through the thin shirt Eric had lent him. Her eyes welled up with salty teardrops, and released them when Impa tried to approach her.

"I don't want to fail him."

* * *

Telma harnessed the two beasts and buckled them to the wagon: Epona and Zelda's horse seemed to get along easy, thankfully. Zelda was inside the back, cleaning off any extra straw and suiting up a clean area. Standing from her knees, the princess climbed out the back of the cart, landing on her two feet and brushing off the dust from her clothes. Telma smiled at Zelda and led her to the two horses.

Rubbing the muzzle of her horse, her slight grin diminished, leaving a blank tone in her lips. Turning to Telma, her gaze flickered. "Do you think he'll be alright?" Zelda sighed, turning her eyes to the horse's hooves. "What if the Twili think of him as an intruder when he enters, and hurt him? What if he is too weak to actually go through the portal? What if –"

Telma shut Zelda's mouth by placing her fingers over the other's lips. "No 'what if's. We know we need to do it. So we will." The princess's gaze with Telma faltered and flooded with a cold dread, but even Telma herself showed slight discomfort. "I feel guilty for allowing such events to go down that night. I feel guilty that I left him alone when I knew he was down. I shouldn't have been so stupid, if I hadn't had left him, he wouldn't be in this sickly state."

The plump woman pulled her hand from Zelda's lips and let it fall to her side. Zelda responded by placing a hand on her shoulder, trying to grin to lighten the mood. "You know, we _all_ have things we regret. But life goes on, and we should stop with the 'if's and 'what if's, right?" Telma raised a brow, hearing Zelda herself somewhat quote her. The woman raised her lips and nodded.

"That is true." Turning her head toward the horizon, she saw the sun starting to rise over the hills of the Snowpeak Mountains. She turned to face Zelda directly and grinned. "Today, we are going to save the boy." And to that Zelda shook her head firmly. And the two women waited for Eric and Impa to bring Link from the castle.

* * *

"Link, you need to get up," Eric begged by the boy's bed, stroking a hand through his matted hair. He was only granted a groan as a reply. Huffing, the red head pulled at Link's shoulder and sat him up. "C'mon, we need to go. You're going to have a really good day today."

The half-asleep boy raised a brow at Eric, presuming his words were sarcastic, as his recent days had been utterly miserable. "You ought to be crazy." The words fell from his lips, quietly and lifeless.

"I'm actually being quite serious, for once." Eric shook his head, lifting the boy's arms and pulled his musty and feeble, stained shirt overtop his head. Before slipping on the new shirt, the red head took note of Link's frame: he saw each and every rib. His collarbones stuck out like a neglected animal's and the skin that wrapped over him was a pale and sallow shade. Ripping the sight from his mind, Eric slipped the boy in a nicer, button down shirt, which used to be his from when he was Link's age. Yes, it was big on him – Eric was a lot taller – but it thoroughly hid the boy's thinning frame.

The red head then dragged the boy out from under the blankets and handed him a pair of slacks. Link was confused, but shrugged, slipped off his current pair and replaced it with the new pair. The whole outfit was big on the boy, but Eric had taken his belt around Link's waist and then tucked the shirt in so it wouldn't look _as _bad.

"I look stupid," Link coughed, frowning at his appearance in the mirror.

Eric shook his head. "Nonsense, you look _dashing_." The red head smirked and raised a brow. Wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulder, directing him towards the door, Eric laughed. "And we're off."

"Where?" the smaller questioned, perking a brow.

The red head smirked, poking the younger's nose, causing his eyes to widen and jump slightly. "Now that's a surprise." Link sneered at the older, who simply smirked. "Trust me, you'll like it."

The duo then reached the stairwell, where Link halted. He felt his knees crumbled and weaken, causing him to lean on Eric. He looked up at the red head with wide eyes and gritted teeth, to which Eric smiled. He slipped an arm around the younger's shoulder, and another under his knees, and lifted him off the ground. "I carried you in here, and now I'm carrying you out." Link smirked as Eric began to take him down the stairs.

The two reached the bottom of the stairwell, where Eric returned Link to standing on his feet. The boy's face was bright red. "Thank you, Eric."

The red head grinned, closing his eyes and patting the boy's back. "It's nothing. Just doing deeds for a friend." The blonde's face darkened the crimson shade to Eric's words.

Impa then walked up to their side from an empty castle in the hallway. She grinned slightly at the two and gestured to the carefully wrapped cloth in her hands. "Shall we go now?"

Eric nodded and opened the door for the blonde, who dragged his feet right on through. The three were greeted by Zelda and Telma rested up against the wagon. The red head aided Link to the wagon and in it, and then helped Zelda step up into it. Eric took the shards from Impa and passed them on to Zelda before climbing in the wagon. The tan woman nodded and seated herself in the driver's bench alongside Telma.

"To Arbiter's Grounds?" Telma asked the woman beside her.

Impa nodded. Telma then whipped the horses into motion, and they began to smoothly canter from the castle grounds and out past the town into Hyrule field. Link sat next to Eric in the back of the wagon, his arms crossed and his lips pursed. Neither Zelda nor Eric could get words out of him. He only turned his face away from theirs when they wanted a response from him.

Zelda reached across the wagon to place a hand on the blonde's shoulders: his lip twitched but he refused to look at her. "Why won't you talk to us?"

Eric nudged the boy in the side, as well, and added, "Yeah, you were in such a good mood earlier."

Link rolled his eyes and whirled his head to face Zelda's. His jaw was crooked and his teeth her were tight. His eyelids half covered his eyes, and he had a perked brow. An obvious tone of vexation lingered in his voice. "Why am I going to Aribiter's Grounds? I've told you countless times that I do _not_ want to go back there, so why are you guys taking me? I heard Telma yell it to the Sheikah woman up front." He sarcastically laughed and turned his gaze away from Zelda's. "I told you that I didn't want to go back, and you know why." His lighthearted expression then returned to his irritated state. "And especially on the day which I turn nineteen – the anniversary of that… of… that…" His voice trailed off into nothing. Link couldn't finish his sentence.

Zelda's lips formed a small frown while parted, her eyes wide and eyebrows hanging low. "I hadn't realized that it's been a year, nor did I know that it was your birthday."

"To hell with both of those meaningless celebrations – I couldn't care anymore." The boy shrugged and scooted himself away from Zelda and Eric and looked out the small opening down at Lake Hylia.

The princess looked up at Eric, who was in as much shock as she was. Link had hit his breaking point and he was making it obvious. Zelda grinned, thankful that today was the day they went – after what she had planned, Link would no longer have a dearth for Midna. He would, if this worked out as planned, see her again.

* * *

It was nearing sunset when Telma slowed the horses to a halt. Eric exited the back of the wagon first, aiding Zelda and Link with hopping out. The young boy was still in a bitter mood, and so Eric sighed and threw him over his shoulder as they began to trek up to the mirror chamber. Impa had volunteered to stay back with the horses. And so Zelda led the way, carefully handling the cloth in her hands, as Eric and Telma followed.

Link fidgeted in Eric's grip. "I can walk, you know," a stinging taint to his words.

The red head gave a haughty laugh. "No you can't. I know you've been here several times, but you nearly died and you are no better off than before. I'm carrying you up."

Link huffed and crossed his arms, refusing to give words. He wasn't in a good mood, but it was to be expected. Such a tragic day for the boy, and they had brought him back to the root of it.

Zelda took each step carefully, she remembered the last time she and Link exited the grounds, he had to show her where each of the little traps were. Remembering them now was a pain, but she trusted in the gift of wisdom that the goddesses' had granted her with the triforce and began to lead her small group to the top of the tower – where the mirror had found home.

After a good hour, Zelda had retraced her steps almost perfectly and guided the group to the safety of the chamber. Eric plopped Link on his feet, to which the shorter grumbled and crossed his arms.

"I don't want to be here," his tone was bitter, yet it shook tremendously. The emotional attachment he had to this area just caused him enough pain to think about it. Now he stood in it once again, and all hell was breaking loose in his head.

"I know you don't," Zelda whispered to him in the most placid tone possible. "This place is saddening to me, as well." She sighed and stared the blonde in the eye. "But I brought you here for your wellbeing. And so –"

"Wait, hold on a sec," Link interrupted, waving his arms around in a baffled manner. "_How_ is bringing me here doing me any good?" His voice shook as tears formed in his eyes. "All I feel right now is hurt, the pain and memories of that day." He erupted in tears and his voice cracked several times. "I don't want to be here, Zelda!"

Zelda wanted to remain stolid, but the sight before her cracked through her hard shell. She sighed and went up the boy and hugged him. Holding his head in the crook of her neck, she whispered in his ear. "I know you don't want to be here, I know. But I brought you here for a good reason, and I swear you'll like it." She pulled away the sniffling mess and dried his eyes, looking him in the eye. "Trust me on this."

Link sighed and nodded, taking his sleeves to his eyes. He watched the small cloth in Zelda's hands. She passed it to Eric, who held it as she unfolded it, revealing two mirror shards: his and hers. The brunette took the shard which she had taken and approached the mirror, which to Link's surprise, was almost put back together except for two center pieces. The boy's mouth gaped wide open as Zelda pushed in her shard in the mirror, leaving only one space left: his shard.

Zelda turned back to Link and grinned. "You see what I'm saying?"

The blonde boy nodded and reached over to Eric, snatching up his piece. He held it so dearly and he smiled slightly. "This was my last remnant of her, the last remnant of my friend." He looked up at Zelda who was returning from the mirror's pedestal. She only nudged her shoulder toward the mirror and Link gulped, determination flooding his face.

Eric took a step forward to Link, prepared to help him, before Zelda stuck her arm out at his chest. The red head look at her with a raised brow and the quintessence of puzzlement flooding his face. "Shouldn't I help him walk up to the pedestal?"

Zelda shook her head. "No." Her gaze returned to the boy standing at the foot of stairs leading to the mirror. "He wants to do it on his own – I can see it in his eyes."

And then Link took a step up – not gracefully, more wobbly than anything, followed by another, and another, and many more. Each step uneasy in his balance, with some stumbled along the way. By the time he reached the height of the small incline, he was doubled over panting: his ailments had done him in with his health, as he could barely walk over a flight of stairs that was quite short.

Zelda and Eric watched carefully as Link stood and regained his composure. He held the fragment of the mirror tight in his hand; his knuckles were white under such pressure. Taking a step forward, he approached the mirror.

Link stared at the mirror for several minutes. He took in its extravagant details, the artistry of the design, and the eloquence of it all. Grinning up at the Mirror of Twilight, Link raised the shard in his hand and looked at it. He grinned and tears flowed down his cheeks. He was laughing hysterically, too. It was obvious he couldn't believe what was happening before him.

Just as he was about to place the remnant in its place, Link turned to Zelda, Eric, and Telma. His smile held such unfeigned happiness, elated joy: each of them grinned at him with the same ferocity. Tears streamed down his face as his smile took over most of the space of his cheeks. "T-thank you so much… I have no words to explain how excited I am." He could barely handle his happiness, as unevenly jumped on the balls of his feet. "I get to see Midna again!"

Telma nodded and giggled. "We know. That was the plan all along. Now go – go see your girlfriend!" Both Eric and Zelda stared wide-eyed at Telma – as far as they knew, the duo had never been an item.

Link turned back to the mirror and gulped, placing his shard in the last empty space, filling the mirror. And then the Mirror of Twilight shone bright, each crack that had been once there disappeared, revealing the mirror whole again. The boy's eyes were bright and wide as the light shone off the mirror and onto the opposing rock. The portal began to form and Link began to approach it.

The mirror had been activated and Zelda's plan had worked.

* * *

**A/N: I would just like to give a big thank you to all those who have stuck with me so far! I'm going back and correcting all my grammatical errors of the previous chapters slowly ^^ And I hope you enjoyed all the development in this chapter, it was so much fun to write this one. The next few will be even better! It puts me in such a good mood to write about Link getting better after all I put him through - I hope it makes you guys happy to read it! Read and review, as always? Thanks guys! **


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